‡ Sicily, Katana, tetradrachm, c. 405 BC, signed by Herakleidas, laureate head of Apollo facing three-quarters left, his hair falling in waves; in field right, the artist’s signature ΗΡΑΚΛΕΙΔΑΣ, rev., charioteer holding reins and goad in fast quadriga left; above, Nike flying right holding wreath to crown charioteer; in ex., ΚΑΤΑΝΑΙΩΝ above tunny fish swimming left, 16.48g, die axis 7.00 (C. Boehringer, ‘über die münzen von Katane’, SNR 87 (2008) pl. 2, 20, this piece; Kraay-Hirmer 43-44, same dies; AMB 337; Rizzo pl. 14,10; Gulbenkian 191), with fine toning, well-centred and well-struck, extremely fine and an exceptional example, very rare Provenance: Charles Gillet (1879-1972), private catalogue, pl. 19, 399; J. Abecassis collection (“Outstanding Collection”), Leu Numismatics 81, 16 May 2001, lot 74; European Connoisseur collection (formed before 2002).Note: Although frontal imagery was not new to Greek die engraving (mainly Gorgons, animals, and their scalps), it was in the late 5th century that Sicily saw a burst of experimentation with more sophisticated forms of frontality. Portraying the gods in three-quarter facing views on such a small scale created technical and aesthetic challenges. In Syracuse, Eukleidas’s ornate, jewel-like facing head of Athena succeeded artistically, but engraved in high relief into the reverse die it was weak and broke in use. Kimon solved the problem by engraving in relatively low relief into the obverse die, and his dreamy facing head of Arethusa is justly famed. Perhaps benefitting from the results of others’ experimentation, Herakleidas created two distinctly different dies with facing heads of Apollo probably based on Athenian statuary types. His first more closely adhered to the classical norm. His second, as here, is the ‘more original’ of the two. He has cut deeply into the die (again the obverse) and his Apollo with piercing eyes and piled hair with wispy ends is remarkably effective. ‘Heracleidas was surely an artist of unusual breadth, showing in the space of one issue his mastery of two distinct and contrasted styles, one traditional the other innovative.’ (Lorber, WAW, 188).

Estimate: GBP 170000-200000