Ionia. Klazomenai. 380-360 BC. AR Hemidrachm (1.96g, 12h). BMC 27; SNG Copenhagen 24. Old cabinet tone. Perfectly centered and struck. A masterpiece in miniature. Choice extremely fine. From a European private collection; former Henri Gallice d'Epernay (1854-1930) collection, Etienne Bourgey 1935 (14 May) lot 224; Etienne Bourgey 1914 (14 May) lot 82
Klazomenai produced some of the finest facing-head portraits in all Greek coinage, with most of them being unsigned masterpieces. According to myth, swans drew the chariot in which Apollo every year flew south from his winter home in the land of the Hyperboreans. The city was also home to large numbers of swans and it is thought that the verb 'klazo' was used to describe the call of the wild birds.
Price realized | 2'600 EUR |
Starting price | 1'000 EUR |