Messana tetradrachm

[planetetour]

Dear experts,

Your opinion about this coin ?

https://www.hjbltd.com/#!/inventory/item-detail/ancient-coins/110380

 

 

[skubydu]

7 ore fa, planetetour dice:

Dear experts,

Your opinion about this coin ?

https://www.hjbltd.com/#!/inventory/item-detail/ancient-coins/110380

 

 

 

Sicily, Messana; ca. 420-413 BC, Tetradrachm, 28.74g. SNG ANS-372, Rizzo-8, BMC-42, HGC-790. Obv: Nymph Messana appears draped and facing left as she guides a mule-drawn two‑horse chariot in the same direction. She holds the reins in her left hand and a goad in her right, with the legend ΜΕΣΣΑΝ above and two dolphins facing each other beneath the ground line. Rx: ΜΕΣΣΑΝΙΟΝ accompanies a hare shown leaping left; below it, an ear of grain with two leaves extends to the left.Biga driver flatly-struck. Virtually MS

[skubydu]

Per uno studio della moneta é importante partire dagli esemplari conosciuti e dai riferimenti indicati nel testo.

 

Ans 372

g. 16,95 

Trovo strano non abbiano citato il testo della Caltabiano, testo base per la catalogazione di Messana

caltabiano 511

 

[skubydu]

Sng Lockett 823

[skubydu]

Sicuramente nel testo di berk c è un errore nel peso. Non può pesare 28,74 g.

Modificato Martedì alle 20:17 da skubydu

[roby14]

42 minuti fa, skubydu dice:

Sicuramente nel testo di berk c è un errore nel peso. Non può pesare 28,74 g.

 

Esatto...la stessa moneta nel passaggio in asta da Astarte un anno e mezzo fa riportava  (Silver, 28.74 mm, 17.18 g)

per quello che vale il mio parere, è una bellissima moneta che non lascia spazio ad alcun dubbio. Se devo fare un appunto è solo alla tirata a lucido a cui è stata sottoposta...

[Lelouch]

Ciao a tutti,

I have noticed that many auction houses label Messana (the female figure on the coins) as a nymph. If possible, could you let me know if Caltabiano also labels Messana as a nymph?

[numa numa]

Hello Lelouch

I checked the Caltabiano text: she speaks for these issues of a feminine ‘auriga’ . At least at a superficial check I could not see any mention of a nymph ( also a bit incongruous if I may, for a nymph to be represented with  auriga functions ). 

Modificato ieri alle 15:38 da numa numa

[Lelouch]

Grazie mille, Numa.

I was wondering, but Caltabiano has confirmed it, there is actually no nymph named Messana. The auction houses are all wrong and made her completely Messana up. No ancient texts refer to a nymph Messana either. Thucydides writes as well the Anaxilas renamed Messana after Messine, not after a nymph like Kamarina or Himera.

[numa numa]

For sake of precision I checked how these tetradrachms had been described in the past in older collections and found out - for example - that in the De Luynes collection the reverse was described as:

Bige des mules conduit par la deesse eponyme Messana

In the Locker Lampson (1923) the auriga  was described as a “female figure (Messana?)” with the question mark providing at least the benefit of the doubt.

from these quick references it must  at least recognized that the Messana nymph identification of the auriga has not been altogether invented by subsequent dealers