Log in or Sign up
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
Venus Anadyomene or Aphrodite Just Drying Her Hair - Gordian III Æ 22 from Deultum
>
Reply to Thread
Message:
<p>[QUOTE="Roman Collector, post: 3726124, member: 75937"]That's a lovely coin, [USER=19463]@dougsmit[/USER] ! I think I can explain some, but not all, the iconography here. Of the various motifs on the coin, the dolphin is the easiest to explain. Dolphins are an attribute of Venus, just like her apple. The dolphin alludes to her birth from the sea and was a common feature on ancient statuary (where it also served as a device to support the statue so it wouldn't break off at the ankles). Here are just a few such works.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here is the <a href="http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/6477/unknown-maker-statue-of-venus-the-mazarin-venus-roman-2nd-century-ad/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/6477/unknown-maker-statue-of-venus-the-mazarin-venus-roman-2nd-century-ad/" rel="nofollow">Manzarin Venus from the J. Paul Getty Museum</a>, from 2nd century Rome:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]998932[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>And this is the <a href="https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/venus-of-the-dolphin/bda3d718-adde-4d23-bbfa-dd09a5bed118" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/venus-of-the-dolphin/bda3d718-adde-4d23-bbfa-dd09a5bed118" rel="nofollow">Venus of the Dolphin at the Prado</a>, also from the 2nd century:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]998933[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>In other media, dolphins appear along with Venus, such as in this mosaic found at Kingscote in Gloucestershire during an excavation in the 1970s. It is <a href="https://coriniummuseum.org/2016/07/dolphins-roman-art/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://coriniummuseum.org/2016/07/dolphins-roman-art/" rel="nofollow">currently on display at the Corinium Museum</a> and dates from the third to fourth century AD and features the face of Venus looking into a mirror in its central portion, while dolphins feature as decorations in its border:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]998940[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]998941[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Lastly, Venus may be depicted with dolphins on Roman coins. <a href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3068824&partId=1&searchText=Rufus+Venus+dolphin&page=1" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3068824&partId=1&searchText=Rufus+Venus+dolphin&page=1" rel="nofollow">This denarius</a> of Manlius Cordius Rufus (BMCRR 463/3) in the British Museum features Venus on its obverse and a dolphin ridden by her son, Cupid, on its reverse.*</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]998945[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>She is also depicted with a dolphin entwined around a rudder on this dupondius of Faustina II issued by her father, Antoninus Pius, from my own collection (RIC 1409b):</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]998949[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>As to Venus's "cape," I don't think it has any particular significance other than that it is a <i>palla</i>, a <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/matronly-garments-the-stola-and-palla.346585/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/matronly-garments-the-stola-and-palla.346585/">standard item of women's clothing</a> in ancient Rome. You'll note the Manzarin Venus is wearing nothing but a palla -- as is the case on the Macrinus and Diadumenian coin from Nicopolis -- while Venus is depicted with both <i>stola</i> and <i>palla</i> on my dupondius, above.</p><p><br /></p><p>The difficult part of the iconography to explain is the presence of the altar. In the descriptions of the birth of Venus in the most ancient sources (Hesiod, <i>Theogony</i> 176 ff, Homeric Hymn 6 <i>to Aphrodite</i>, etc.), no mention of sacrifice to or by Aphrodite/Venus is mentioned. Nonetheless, Venus is depicted with an altar on other Roman coins, such as <a href="https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=4799928" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=4799928" rel="nofollow">this follis</a> of Galeria Valeria (RIC vi 121) of Antioch, and I don't find its presence on [USER=19463]@dougsmit[/USER] 's coin surprising.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]998953[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>~~~</p><p><br /></p><p>*The coin calls to mind this passage from <i>The Anacreontea, Fragment 57 (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric II)</i> (C5th B.C.):</p><p><br /></p><p>"[Aphrodite] roaming over the waves like sea-lettuce, moving her soft-skinned body in her voyage over the white calm sea, she pulls the breakers along her path. Above her rosy breast and below her soft neck a great wave divides her skin. In the midst of the furrow, like a lily wound among violets, Kypris shines out from the clam sea. Over the silver on dancing dolphins ride guileful Eros and laughing Himeros (Desire), and the chorus of bow-backed fish plunging in the waves sports with Paphia where she swims."[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Roman Collector, post: 3726124, member: 75937"]That's a lovely coin, [USER=19463]@dougsmit[/USER] ! I think I can explain some, but not all, the iconography here. Of the various motifs on the coin, the dolphin is the easiest to explain. Dolphins are an attribute of Venus, just like her apple. The dolphin alludes to her birth from the sea and was a common feature on ancient statuary (where it also served as a device to support the statue so it wouldn't break off at the ankles). Here are just a few such works. Here is the [URL='http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/6477/unknown-maker-statue-of-venus-the-mazarin-venus-roman-2nd-century-ad/']Manzarin Venus from the J. Paul Getty Museum[/URL], from 2nd century Rome: [ATTACH=full]998932[/ATTACH] And this is the [URL='https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/venus-of-the-dolphin/bda3d718-adde-4d23-bbfa-dd09a5bed118']Venus of the Dolphin at the Prado[/URL], also from the 2nd century: [ATTACH=full]998933[/ATTACH] In other media, dolphins appear along with Venus, such as in this mosaic found at Kingscote in Gloucestershire during an excavation in the 1970s. It is [URL='https://coriniummuseum.org/2016/07/dolphins-roman-art/']currently on display at the Corinium Museum[/URL] and dates from the third to fourth century AD and features the face of Venus looking into a mirror in its central portion, while dolphins feature as decorations in its border: [ATTACH=full]998940[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]998941[/ATTACH] Lastly, Venus may be depicted with dolphins on Roman coins. [URL='https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3068824&partId=1&searchText=Rufus+Venus+dolphin&page=1']This denarius[/URL] of Manlius Cordius Rufus (BMCRR 463/3) in the British Museum features Venus on its obverse and a dolphin ridden by her son, Cupid, on its reverse.* [ATTACH=full]998945[/ATTACH] She is also depicted with a dolphin entwined around a rudder on this dupondius of Faustina II issued by her father, Antoninus Pius, from my own collection (RIC 1409b): [ATTACH=full]998949[/ATTACH] As to Venus's "cape," I don't think it has any particular significance other than that it is a [I]palla[/I], a [URL='https://www.cointalk.com/threads/matronly-garments-the-stola-and-palla.346585/']standard item of women's clothing[/URL] in ancient Rome. You'll note the Manzarin Venus is wearing nothing but a palla -- as is the case on the Macrinus and Diadumenian coin from Nicopolis -- while Venus is depicted with both [I]stola[/I] and [I]palla[/I] on my dupondius, above. The difficult part of the iconography to explain is the presence of the altar. In the descriptions of the birth of Venus in the most ancient sources (Hesiod, [I]Theogony[/I] 176 ff, Homeric Hymn 6 [I]to Aphrodite[/I], etc.), no mention of sacrifice to or by Aphrodite/Venus is mentioned. Nonetheless, Venus is depicted with an altar on other Roman coins, such as [URL='https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=4799928']this follis[/URL] of Galeria Valeria (RIC vi 121) of Antioch, and I don't find its presence on [USER=19463]@dougsmit[/USER] 's coin surprising. [ATTACH=full]998953[/ATTACH] ~~~ *The coin calls to mind this passage from [I]The Anacreontea, Fragment 57 (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric II)[/I] (C5th B.C.): "[Aphrodite] roaming over the waves like sea-lettuce, moving her soft-skinned body in her voyage over the white calm sea, she pulls the breakers along her path. Above her rosy breast and below her soft neck a great wave divides her skin. In the midst of the furrow, like a lily wound among violets, Kypris shines out from the clam sea. Over the silver on dancing dolphins ride guileful Eros and laughing Himeros (Desire), and the chorus of bow-backed fish plunging in the waves sports with Paphia where she swims."[/QUOTE]
Your name or email address:
Do you already have an account?
No, create an account now.
Yes, my password is:
Forgot your password?
Stay logged in
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
Venus Anadyomene or Aphrodite Just Drying Her Hair - Gordian III Æ 22 from Deultum
>
Home
Home
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Activity
Recent Posts
Forums
Forums
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Posts
Competitions
Competitions
Quick Links
Competition Index
Rules, Terms & Conditions
Gallery
Gallery
Quick Links
Search Media
New Media
Showcase
Showcase
Quick Links
Search Items
Most Active Members
New Items
Directory
Directory
Quick Links
Directory Home
New Listings
Members
Members
Quick Links
Notable Members
Current Visitors
Recent Activity
New Profile Posts
Sponsors
Menu
Search
Search titles only
Posted by Member:
Separate names with a comma.
Newer Than:
Search this thread only
Search this forum only
Display results as threads
Useful Searches
Recent Posts
More...