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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Carausius, post: 3884470, member: 76440&quot;]In 187 BCE, Marcus Fulvius Nobilior, celebrating victories in Greece, dedicated a Temple of Hercules Musarum in Rome, near the Circus Flaminius. This round temple contained statues of Hercules and the nine Muses, which were likely brought back to Rome as spoils from Greece. Over 100 years after this temple was consecrated, Cicero praised Nobilior for honoring poetry and the arts in his victory over the Greeks.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the mid-50s BCE, Q. Pomponius Musa punned his name by depicting the Muses on a series of coins.&nbsp; It is possible that the reverses of Musa’s coins depict the actual statues contained within the Marcus Fulvius Nobilior temple.&nbsp; Below are my current examples of four of this fabulous Muse series of coins, long favored by Roman Republican collectors for their high-style:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1025765[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Rome, The Republic.</p><p>Q. Pomponius Musa, mid-50s BCE</p><p>AR Denarius (3.58g; 19mm).</p><p>Rome Mint.</p><p><br /></p><p>Obverse: Laureate head of Apollo(?), hair tied-up, facing right; tied scroll behind.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reverse: Q. POMPONI – MVSA; Clio, muse of history, facing left and leaning on column, while reading open scroll.</p><p><br /></p><p>References: Crawford 410/3; Sydenham 813; BMCRR 3610-11; Pomponia 11.</p><p><br /></p><p>Provenance: Ex Heritage Auction 3072 (15 Jan 2019), Lot 35407; Frederick S. Knobloch Collection [Stack&#039;s (3-4 May 1978), Lot 469]; E.J. Haeberlin Collection [Cahn-Hess (17 Jul 1933) Lot 2490].</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;[ATTACH=full]1025768[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Rome, The Republic.</p><p>Q. Pomponius Musa, mid-50s BCE</p><p>AR Denarius (3.96g; 18mm).</p><p>Rome Mint.</p><p><br /></p><p>Obverse: Laureate head of Apollo(?), hair tied-up, facing right; scepter behind.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reverse: MVSA - Q.POMPONI; Melpomene, muse of tragedy, facing left and holding club and theatrical mask.</p><p><br /></p><p>References: Crawford 410/4; Sydenham 816; BMCRR 3615-16; Pomponia 14.</p><p><br /></p><p>Provenance: Ex Fay Beth Wedig Collection [CNG eSale 439 (6 Mar 2019) Lot 442]; NAC 11 (29 Apr 1998), Lot 253.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1025769[/ATTACH] </p><p>Rome, The Republic.</p><p>Q. Pomponius Musa, 56-52 BCE</p><p>AR Denarius (3.76g; 20mm).</p><p>Rome Mint.</p><p><br /></p><p>Obv: Q•POMPONI – MVSA; Head of Apollo facing right, hair tied with band.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rev: HERCVLES – MVSARVM; Hercules facing right, wearing lion skin and playing lyre.</p><p><br /></p><p>References: Crawford 410/1; Sydenham 810; Pomponia 8.</p><p><br /></p><p>Provenance: Ex Collection of an English Amateur Scholar [NAC 92 (May 2016) Lot 1669]; Munzen und Medaillen XIX (Jun 1959) Lot 98; L. Hamburger 95 (1932} Lot 238; Manuel Vidal Quadras y Ramon (d. 1894) Collection [E. Bourgey (Nov 1913) Lot 526].</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1025774[/ATTACH] </p><p>Rome, The Republic.</p><p>Q. Pomponius Musa, mid-50s BCE</p><p>AR Denarius (3.98g; 19mm).</p><p>Rome Mint.</p><p><br /></p><p>Obverse: Laureate head of Apollo(?), hair tied-up, facing right; star behind.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reverse: Q. POMPONI – MVSA; Urania, muse of astronomy, facing left, holding wand over globe on tripod.</p><p><br /></p><p>References: Crawford 410/8; Sydenham 823; Pomponia 22.</p><p><br /></p><p>Provenance: Ex William C. Boyd (d. 1906) Collection [Baldwin&#039;s 42 (26 Sep 2005), Lot 64]; bought from Spink in 1900.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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