Tetradrammo¹, zecca di Catania², 405-402 a. C., SNG Copenhagen 180, BMC II 32 (pag.47)

Descrizione sommaria (sono indicate in rosso le parti della leggenda usurate o comunque illeggibili):
D. Testa di Apollo frontale di tre quarti a sinistra, riccioli che ricadono attorno al volto. A destra, lungo il bordo, a partire da ore 3, in senso orario, HPAKΛEIΔAΣ³. Al centro quadriga al galoppo a sinistra condotta da un auriga che regge le redini con entrambe le mani. Nike a destra posata sulle redini sorregge con la mano sinistra un caduceo e con la destra porge una corona all'auriga. In esergo KATANAIΩN⁴, sotto pesce a sinistra.

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1. https://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=56985 Sale: Triton VIII, Lot: 63. Estimate $10000. Closing Date: Monday, 10 January 2005. Sold For $30000. SICILY, Katane. Circa 410 BC. AR Tetradrachm (17.01g, 9h). Obverse die signed by Herakleidas. Head of Apollo facing slightly left, wearing laurel wreath; HRAKLEIDAS downward in right field / KATANAIWN, charioteer driving fast quadriga left, holding kentron in right hand, reins in both; above, Nike flying right, placing open wreath on charioteer's head; in exergue, fish left. SNG ANS -; cf. SNG Copenhagen 180; Basel 337 (same dies); Gulbenkian 190 (same dies); Rizzo pl. 14, 10 (same dies); Kraay-Hirmer 43 (same dies). VF, attractively toned, well struck. Very rare. ($10,000) From the Ronald Cohen Collection.
2. https://www.arsclassicacoins.com/biddr/#!/auction/lot?a=1787&l=51&s=51 Auction 124, lot 51 Price realized 220'000 CHF Starting price 80'000 CHF Estimate 100'000 CHF Description Catana. Tetradrachm signed by Heracleidas circa 405-402, AR 16.95g. Laureate head of Apollo, facing three-quarters l., his hair falling in loose curls around his face; in field r., [ΗΡΑΚΛΕΙΔΑΣ]. Rev. Fast quadriga driven l. by charioteer holding reins with both hands; in field above, Nike flying r., holding taenia and wreath to crown the charioteer. In exergue, KATANAIΩΝ / fish l. Kraay-Hirmer pl. 15, 43 (these dies). Rizzo pl. XIV, 10 and XVI, 2 (these dies). Gulbenkian 190 (these dies). C.C. 62 (these dies). Holloway, Art and Coinage in Magna Graecia, p. 112 (this coin). AMB 337 (this coin). Very rare. A superb specimen of this desirable issue, the work of a very talented master engraver. Unusually well-struck and complete with a pleasant old cabinet tone, about extremely fine / extremely fine. Privately purchased from Ambrogio Canessa in December 1952. Ex NAC sale 13, 1998, formerly exhibited at the Antike Museum Basel, 337;, NAC 48, 2008, 29 and Manhattan 2, 2011, 12 sales. From the Athos Dina Moretti, Guber and Star collections. Katane was founded near Mount Aetna by colonists from Sicilian Naxos in c. 729 BC. The city was famous in antiquity both for its laws and the piety of its inhabitants. In the late sixth century BC, the lawgiver Charondas (a pupil of Pythagoras) composed a set of laws for the city, written entirely in verse, that were said to have been so just that they were widely adopted by many of the other Chalkidian colonies of Sicily. Alas, Charondas was unable to personally compose law codes specific to these other cities because he committed suicide after he realized that he had accidentally broken one of his own laws: He had entered the public assembly while wearing a sword. The upright character of the inhabitants of Kantane is also expressed in the legend of Amphinomos and Anapios—often known simply as ”the Katanaian Brothers”—who took no heed for their personal possessions and property when Mount Aetna erupted (perhaps in 427 BC) and instead carried their elderly parents to safety on their shoulders. These brothers became instant symbols of filial piety and served as an archetype for later Roman representations of the hero Aeneas carrying his father Anchises. Unfortunately, the evident moral superiority of the Katanaians did little to aid them in their long history of conflict with Syracuse and its frequently amoral tyrants. In 476 BC, Hieron I of Syracuse ejected the Chalkidian Greek Katanaians from their city in order to use it to settle 10,000 Dorian Greeks from the territory of Syracuse and the Peloponnesos. However, once the tyrant was safely dead, in 461 BC, the Katanaians returned to expel the interlopers and reclaim their city. Continued animosity towards Syracuse led the Katane to join Leontinoi in seeking aid from the Athenians and in supporting the ultimately disastrous Athenian expedition against Syracuse in 413-413 BC. The city also opposed the expansionist policies of the Syracusan tyrant Dionysios I (405-367 BC), which devolved into open warfare in 403/2 BC. The Katanaians prepared to stand firm against the tyrant and weather a siege, but they were betrayed to Dionysios I by Arkesilos, one of their own generals. Thus, Katane fell into the hands of the tyrant, who immediately ordered the plunder of the city and the enslavement of the entire population. He subsequently walked in the footsteps of Hieron I and populated the empty city with Campanian mercenaries in his employ. The present tetradrachm was struck in the period of conflict between Katane and Dionysios I of Syracuse. It is a little ironic that this coinage, struck to finance the defense of the city against the Syracusan tyrant, should be so strongly influenced by the contemporary coinage of Syracuse. The racing quadriga type is closely modeled on the Syracusan chariot type of the engraver Kimon while the wonderful facing head of Apollo is a local adaptation of the facing head of Arethusa also engraved by Kimon for tetradrachms of Syracuse under Dionysios I. Also like at contemporary Syracuse, the obverse die used to strike this Katanaian tetradrachm has been signed by its engraver—Herakleidas—although his signature is off-flan here. Despite serious political opposition from cities like Katane, this coin illustrates the ultimate inability of the Sicilian enemies of Syracuse to resist its cultural and economic influence.
3. https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=170593 Ex ADM, Lloyd, Berlin Museum, and Fox Collections 877953. Sold For $67500 SICILY, Katane. Circa 405-403/2 BC. AR Tetradrachm (26mm, 16.99g, 10h). Obverse die signed by Herakleidas. Head of Apollo facing slightly left, wearing laurel wreath; HPAKΛEIΔAΣ to right / Charioteer, holding kentron in right hand, reins in left, driving fast quadriga left; above, Nike flying right, crowning charioteer with wreath; in exergue, KATANAIΩ[N] above fish left. Mirone 59 (same dies as illustration); Basel 338 = SNG Lloyd 902 (this coin); Rizzo pl. XIV, 11 and XVI, 3 (same dies); Jameson 546 (same dies); Gulbenkian 192 (same dies); Hirsch 338 (same dies). Good VF, attractive old cabinet toning, a little die wear on obverse, minor die shift on reverse. Very Rare. A classic piece from the era of the Sicilian masters with a delightful portrait of Apollo in superb style. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 46 (2 April 2008), lot 184; Athos D. Moretti Collection (Numismatica Ars Classica, 8 October 1998), lot 338; A.H. & M.E.H. Lloyd Collection, 902; Theodor Prowe Collection (Brüder Egger XVII, 28 November 1904), lot 184; Berlin (Königliche Münzkabinett) Duplicates (A. Hess, 27 October 1902), lot 517; C.R. Fox Collection.
   Founded about 730/29 BC by the colonists from the neighboring Chalkidian colony of Naxos, the city of Katane was located on the eastern coast of Sicily on the fertile Katanian plain near the southern limits of the lava flows from Mt. Aitna. Like its neighbor to the north, Leontini, the city prospered from its exploitation of the fertile plain for the production of barley. When it began striking coinage in the mid-fifth century BC, Katane included on its issues the local river, Amenanos, which was responsible for the fertility of the soil. Like other contemporary Greek riverine depictions, the river-god is portrayed as a human-headed bull. Later issues, however, perhaps influenced by other regional coinages, give the river-god a more youthful and androgynous appearance. Katane's prosperity attracted the attention of its immediate and more-powerful neighbor Syracuse. In 476 BC, Hieron I expelled the population from Katane, driving them north to Leontini. In turn, Katane was "refounded" with a new body of colonists consisting of Syracusan citizens and Dorian mercenaries. Renamed Aitna, it issued a short-lived and very rare coinage, featuring the head of Silenos on the obverse and either Zeus or his thunderbolt on the reverse. This Syracusan overlordship was short-lived, and in 461 BC the original inhabitants of Katane were restored to the city, while the inhabitants of Aitna were withdrawn to the fortress of Inessa, which they renamed Aitna. To commemorate the reinstatement of its original inhabitants, Katane struck a remarkable series of tetradrachms featuring the river-god Amenanos on the obverse and Nike holding a wreath, diadem, or fillet on the reverse. Several different adjuncts, such as a Silenos or a ketos are inlcuded on the obverse as well. Such additions may be evidence of regional influences resulting from Katane's recent history. Such is the case after about 460 BC when this issue was replaced by one featuring a quadriga similar to that of Syracuse, but without the additional Nike, on the obverse and the laureate head of Apollo, similar to that of Leontini, on the reverse. Katane continued to prosper until the late 5th century BC, when the city entered a period when it became continually embroiled in conflicts between other states. In 415 BC, Katane was attacked and captured by Athens, which used the city as the base of operations for the first year of the famous Sicilian Expedition. Later, in 403 BC, Katane fell to Dionysios I of Syracuse, who, like Hieron I before him, re-founded the city, this time with Campanian mercenaries. In the period leading up to this conflict with Syracuse, the coinage of Katane underwent another transformation. By the late 5th century BC, the numismatic art of Sicily had achieved an unparalleled degree of quality in the Greek world. This was due in large part to the great masters whose signatures are boldly displayed on their minute canvasses: Choirion, Euainetos, Eumenos, Exakestidas, Kimon, and others. Most of these artists are known from their work in the Syracusan series, but a few also created masterful works of art at other cities as well. One of these, Herakleidas, created a magnificent facing head type that is a standout among the famed Katanean issues. Certainly influenced by the Kimonean facing-head portraits of Arethusa on tetradrachms at Syracuse, the subject here was the god Apollo, whose profile portrait was featured on the reverse of earlier issues of Katane. Here, the god's portrait has become the prominent feature of the coin, moving to the obverse and appearing in a nearly frontal aspect. One may sense Herakleidas' attempt to portray Apollo in a naturalistic form, retaining through his countenance an attitude of an other-worldly god, while introducing a delicacy that conveys the thought of a living being. The hair falls in individual locks reminiscent of Arethusa of Syracuse, but rather than radiating outward as if in an aquatic environment, they are depicted in a downward splayed fashion, evoking the picture of a woodland entity whose natural appearance would retain a hint of the wild. His laurel wreath is likewise splayed, as though placed upon his head directly from the laurel bush, without any thought of molding or preparation. In contrast, his wide eyes gaze outward with an obvious power that belies his heavenly nature. The viewer has the impression that he is looking into the face of a living god. Herakleidas' work represented the high point of numismatic artistry at Katane, a period that was cut short by the conquest of the city by Dionysios I. In the early 4th century, Katane's close relationship with Syracuse made the city a target for the Carthaginians. In 396 BC, they captured Katane, and held it for about 50 years, until it was finally liberated by Timoleon in the 340s BC. When Pyrrhos landed in Sicily in 278 BC, Katane was the first Sicilian city to welcome him, opening its gates and receiving him with great pomp (Diod. 19. 110; 22. 8). By the time of the First Punic War, however, Katane submitted itself to Rome, a friendly arrangement that allowed the city to regain much of its former prosperity. Katane was ravaged a final time, by Sextus Pompey, during the Roman Civil War, but its refoundation as a colony under Augustus resulted in a renewed prosperity as a provincial town.
4. https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=220342 A. Tkalec AG http://www.coinstkalec.ch/ Auction May 2005 16 09.05.2005 Description GRIECHISCHE MüNZEN SIZILIEN KATANE No.: 16 Rufpreis-Opening bid: CHF 20000 d=29mm. Werk des Herakleidas. AR-Tetradrachme. 17,11g. Ca. 410 v. Chr. Av: HPAKLEIDAS Kopf des Apollon in Frontalansicht. Rv: // KATANAIWN Quadriga im Galopp n. l.; von l. fliegt Nike herbei, um den Lenker zu bekränzen; im Abschnitt Fisch n. l. AMB 338 (stgl.). Gulbenkian 192 (stgl.). Vorzüglich.
5. https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=287303 Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG http://www.arsclassicacoins.com/ Auction 33 67 06.04.2006 Description Greek Coins Catana No.: 67 Estimate: CHF 40000 Sold 42500 d=28mm. etradrachm signed by Herakleidas circa 405-402, AR 17.16g. Laureate head of Apollo, facing three-quarters l., his hair falling in loose curls around the face; in field to r., HRAKLEIDAS. Rev. Fast quadriga driven l. by charioteer holding reins with both hands; in field above, Nike alighting from flight, holding caduceus and wreath to crown the charioteer. In exergue, KATANAIWN / fish l. Jameson 546 (these dies). AMB 338 (these dies). Gulbenkian 192 (these dies). Rizzo pl. 14, 11 and 16, 3 (these dies). Very rare. A delightful portrait of Apollo of superb style, struck on sound metal and with an appealing iridescent tone, about extremely fine. This tetradrachm has been engraved by Herakleidas. On the obverse, rather than on the reverse, we see the head of Apollo. Unlike the usual pattern (with the chariot on the obverse) the images have been inverted, bearing witness to Herakleidas’ originality and artistic freedom. Apollo’s head is portrayed facing; his thick and abundant hair, criss-crossed by the laurel leaves of his crown, is less detailed and is shown as a soft mass, cascading around his face. The outline of the face itself is heavily marked; the lips are straight and firm, the eyes deep set. No less vigorous is the chariot on the reverse; the charioteer is holding the reins in both hands, testifying to the fierce competition of the horses and lending great dynamism to the entire competition, enriched by the usual motif of the Nike flying to right to crown the charioteer.
6. https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=371798 Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG http://www.arsclassicacoins.com/ Auction 40 232 16.05.2007 Description Greek Coins Catana No.: 232 Estimate: CHF 40000 Sold 42500 d=26mm. Tetradrachm signed by Herakleidas circa 405-402, AR 15.61g. Laureate head of Apollo, facing three- quarters l., his hair falling in loose curls around the face; in field r., [HRAKLEIDAS]. Rev. Fast quadriga driven l. by charioteer holding reins with both hands; in field above, Nike alighting from flight, holding caduceus and wreath to crown the charioteer. In exergue, KATANAIWN / fish l. Kraay-Hirmer pl. 15, 43 (these dies). AMB 337 (these dies). Gulbenkian 190 (these dies). Rizzo pl. 14, 10 and 16, 2 (these dies). Very rare. A delightful portrait of Apollo, of superb style, struck in very high relief. The reverse somewhat off-centre, otherwise extremely fine / good very fine. This tetradrachm has been engraved by Herakleidas. On the obverse, rather than on the reverse, we see the head of Apollo. Unlike the usual pattern (with the chariot on the obverse) the images have been inverted, bearing witness to Herakleidas’ originality and artistic freedom. Apollo’s head is portrayed facing; his thick and abundant hair, criss-crossed by the laurel leaves of his crown, is less detailed and is shown as a soft mass, cascading around his face. The outline of the face itself is heavily marked; the lips are straight and firm, the eyes deep set. No less vigorous is the chariot on the reverse; the charioteer is holding the reins in both hands, testifying to the fierce competition of the horses and lending great dynamism to the entire competition, enriched by the usual motif of Nike flying to the right to crown the charioteer.
7. https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=435628 Stack's http://www.stacks.com/ Stack & Kroisos Collections 2078 14.01.2008 Description KATANA. Ca.410 B.C. Tetradrachm. Facing head of Apollo, turned slightly to l., engraver's signature [H]PAKΛEIΔ[AΣ] to r. Rv. Quadriga l. driven by auriga, Nike above flying toward him holding wreath, KATANAIΩN below, fish in ex. 17.09g. Kraay and Hirmer 43, Gulbenkian 190 (same dies), Rizzo pl.XIV.10. Well centered on a full flan. Minor obverse die break along cheeks. Pleasing pale gray toning. Extremely Fine. An outstanding classical composition. (70,000-80,000). It is curious that the last decade of the 5th century in Sicily saw some of the most creative and artistic numismatic masterieces created anywhere in the Greek world, this despite the fact that the island was torn between the opposing forces of Carthage and Syracuse, each seeking domination. The creative leader certainly was Syracuse, with the outstanding signed Tetradrachms of Eumenos and Phrygillos and the later Dekadrachms of Euainetos and Kimon. No less remarkable, however, were the Katana Tetradrachms of Herakeidas. He managed to imbue an extraordinary vitality into the facing head of Apollo and the horses of the quadriga, combining classic beauty with an exceptional liveliness. From the Lawrence R. Stack Collection of Ancient Greek Coins.
8. https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=939928 Gerhard Hirsch Nachfolger http://www.coinhirsch.de/ Auction 271 1698 17.02.2011 Description KATANA. Signiert von Herakleidas? Tetradrachme. Ca. 415-404. Belorbeerter Apollokopf in 3/4-Ansicht l. Rs: Quadriga l., darüber Nike, den Wagenlenker bekränzend. Im Abschnitt Fisch. SNG COP. -. SNG München 438 var. SNG ANS -. Slg. C. Gulbenkian vgl. 192 (Rs. stgl.). 15,67g. L. korrodiert. Etw. abgenutzte Stempel. RR ss.
9. https://www.arsclassicacoins.com/biddr/#!/auction/lot?a=2061&l=18&s=18 Auction 126, lot 18 Price realized 80'000 CHF Starting price 12'000 CHF. Estimate 15'000 CHF. Description: Catana Tetradrachm signed by Heracleidas circa 405-402, AR 17.32g. Laureate head of Apollo, facing three-quarters l., his hair falling in loose curls around his face; in field r., [ΗΡΑΚΛΕΙΔΑΣ]. Rev. Fast quadriga driven l. by charioteer holding reins with both hands; in field above, Nike flying r., holding taenia and wreath to crown the charioteer. In exergue, [KATANAIΩΝ / fish l.]. Kraay-Hirmer pl. 15, 43 (these dies). Rizzo pl. XIV, 10 and XVI, 2 (these dies). Gulbenkian 190 (these dies). C.C. 62 (these dies). SNG Spencer-Churchill 38 (this coin). AMB 337 (these dies). Very rare. A portrait of masterly style struck on a narrow flan and with a lovely old cabinet tone. Reverse off-centre, otherwise good very fine / very fine. Ex Ars Classica XVI, 1933, Spencer-Churchill, 480; Glendining’s-Baldwin & Sons 10 December 1986, Olga H. Knoepke, 63 and New York XXVII, 2012, Prospero, 134 sales. Katane was founded near Mount Aetna by colonists from Sicilian Naxos in c. 729 BC. The city was famous in antiquity both for its laws and the piety of its inhabitants. In the late sixth century BC, the lawgiver Charondas (a pupil of Pythagoras) composed a set of laws for the city, written entirely in verse, that were said to have been so just that they were widely adopted by many of the other Chalkidian colonies of Sicily. Alas, Charondas was unable to personally compose law codes specific to these other cities because he committed suicide after he realized that he had accidentally broken one of his own laws: he had entered the public assembly while wearing a sword. The upright character of the inhabitants of Katane is also expressed in the legend of Amphinomos and Anapios- often known simply as "the Katanaian Brothers"-who took no heed for their personal possessions and property when Mount Aetna erupted (perhaps in 427 BC) and instead carried their elderly parents to safety on their shoulders. These brothers became instant symbols of filial piety and served as an archetype for later Roman representations of the hero Aeneas carrying his father Anchises. Unfortunately, the evident moral superiority of the Katanaians did little to aid them in their long history of conflict with Syracuse and its frequently amoral tyrants. In 476 BC, Hieron I of Syracuse ejected the Chalkidian Greek Katanaians from their city in order to use it to settle 10,000 Dorian Greeks from the territory of Syracuse and the Peloponnesos. However, once the tyrant was safely dead, in 461 BC, the Katanaians returned to expel the interlopers and reclaim their city. Continued animosity towards Syracuse led the Katane to join Leontinoi in seeking aid from the Athenians and in supporting the ultimately disastrous Athenian expedition against Syracuse in 413-413 BC. The city also opposed the expansionist policies of the Syracusan tyrant Dionysios I (405-367 BC), which devolved into open warfare in 403/2 BC. The Katanaians prepared to stand firm against the tyrant and weather a siege, but they were betrayed to Dionysios I by Arkesilos, one of their own generals. Thus, Katane fell into the hands of the tyrant, who immediately ordered the plunder of the city and the enslavement of the entire population. He subsequently walked in the footsteps of Hieron I and populated the empty city with Campanian mercenaries in his employ. The present tetradrachm was struck in the period of conflict between Katane and Dionysios I of Syracuse. It is a little ironic that this coinage, struck to finance the defense of the city against the Syracusan tyrant, should be so strongly influenced by the contemporary coinage of Syracuse. The racing quadriga type is closely modeled on the Syracusan chariot type of the engraver Kimon while the wonderful facing head of Apollo is a local adaptation of the facing head of Arethusa also engraved by Kimon for tetradrachms of Syracuse under Dionysios I. Also like at contemporary Syracuse, the obverse die used to strike this Katanaian tetradrachm has been signed by its engraver, Herakleidas, although his signature is off-flan here. Despite serious political opposition from cities like Katane, this coin illustrates the ultimate inability of the Sicilian enemies of Syracuse to resist its cultural and economic influence.
10. https://ngsa.bidinside.com/it/lot/3427/sicile-catane-ttradrachme-dargent-/ LOTTO 107 - ASTA 12 Sicile - Catane. Tétradrachme Sicile - Catane. Base d'asta: 150.000,00 CHF. Sicile - Catane. Tétradrachme d'argent signé par Héracleidas, vers 405 av. J.-C. Tête laurée d'Apollon de face, légèrement tournée vers la gauche, les cheveux flottant au vent; la signature du graveur HPAKΛE(IΔAΣ) à droite en petites lettres / Quadrige au galop à gauche, une Victoire volant au-dessus et couronnant l'aurige. KATANAIΩN et un poisson de type mulet nageant à gauche à l'exergue. 17,05g. Basel 338 (mêmes coins); Gulbenkian 192 (mêmes coins); Rizzo pls. 14, 11 et 16, 3 (mêmes coins); SNG Loyd 902 (mêmes coins). Exemplaire provenant de la collection Thyssen-Kaplan, vente NGSA 9 (14 décembre 2015) 9 et des ventes Leu 72 (12 mai 1998) 74 et Tkalec (23 octobre 1992) 36. Grading/Stato: Une monnaie d'une grande élégance. Superbe. Note Ce tétradrachme fait partie du groupe extrêmement restreint des monnaies antiques à porter le nom de l’artiste ayant produit les coins. Il répond à deux chefs-d’œuvre syracusains de peu antérieurs : le portrait de face d’Athéna gravé par Eucleidas vers 410 avant J.-C. et le portrait de face de la nymphe Aréthuse gravé par Kimon cinq ans plus tard. Alors que le thème du quadrige figure habituellement à l’avers des monnaies siciliennes, Héracleidas a choisi de le reléguer au revers pour donner une pleine puissance à son portrait d’Apollon. Ce choix en dit long sur la liberté dont jouissaient les artistes grecs de l’époque. Le portrait, pratiquement de face, égale en virtuosité les plus belles œuvres de Syracuse. Non seulement la jeunesse et la beauté d’Apollon sont parfaitement rendues, mais l’ensemble dégage une aura solaire qui permet d’identifier instinctivement le jeune dieu. Le revers comporte lui aussi un élément témoignant du talent de l’artiste. Les chevaux de l’attelage semblent prêts à s’emballer. L’aurige est crispé sur les rênes et tente d’éviter la catastrophe imminente. Un véritable instantané d’une course réellement vue par l’artiste. Cet événement a duré un quart de seconde… il y a 2400 ans.

Un saluto cordiale.
Giulio De Florio

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(1) Raccolgo in tabella le caratteristiche fisiche dei tetradrammi della tipologia di figura tratte dai link di cui sopra: