This Antoninus Pius Ae19 of Nicopolis shows a famous Greek statue by Praxiteles of Apollo Sauroktonos (the lizard slayer). Slaying lizards doesn't have the cachet of Nemean Lions, but it's a great sculpture and a fine coin. A bronze version of the sculpture turned up on the art market a few years ago and was bought by Cleveland Museum of Art, despite questions about its provenance. Unfortunately it was being restored when I visited the museum a few years ago. They claim that it could be the original by Praxiteles: https://www.clevelandart.org/exhibitions/praxiteles-cleveland-apollo It's the first time I've seen the Apollo Sauroktonos on a coin, but other famous ancient sculptures are more common, such as the Farnese Heracles. I'd love to see your coins depicting ancient works of art.
My Apollo Sauroktonos, whose purchased was inspired by seeing Doug's here on CoinTalk: MOESIA INFERIOR, Nikopolis ad Istrum. Caracalla Ovinius Tertullus, legatus consularis. AE 28, 13.05 gm Obv: AV K M AVP ANTΩNINOC; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right Rev: VΠA OOVI TEPTOVΛΛOV ΝΙΚΟΠΟΛΙΤΩΝ ΠΡΟC Ι; Apollo Sauroktonos standing right, holding laurel branch and leaning hand upon a tree stump with a lizard climbing up it. Ref: H&J 8.18.7.1; Varbanov -. This one has a nicely visible although particularly detailed lizard. Not all of them do Apollo Sauroktonos, the Lizard Slayer. On my coin he seems to be simply admiring the little reptile . image from Wikipedia From the Lourve's website: The Apollo Sauroctonus (Lizard Slayer), dating from about 350-340 BC, was one of the finest works by the Athenian sculptor Praxiteles. While it is faithful to the classical tradition, the subject is innovative and the style bold. Apollo is depicted as an adolescent, about to catch a lizard climbing up a tree trunk. The group was regularly copied by Roman sculptors. It evokes the god's purifying virtues and is quietly reminiscent of his later struggle with the serpent Python. ... A number of hypotheses have been put forward to explain Apollo's actions, many referring to the religious allusion that the apparently motiveless scene originally would have conveyed. The work is thought to refer to the purifying virtues of Apollo, who defeated evil creatures and destroyed scourges. It may also be an adumbration of his struggle against the serpent Python in Delphi. Apollo's purifying or curative powers are referred to in other epithets associated with the god: Apollo Smintheus, the rat slayer, and Apollo Parnopios, the locust slayer. ... Praxiteles (fl. 375-335 BC) is best known for his Aphrodite of Cnidos, the first great female nude in Greek sculpture. However, all of his works, the Apollo Sauroctonus in particular, are strikingly bold in style, departing from the classical tradition of the fifth century BC. The subject allowed Praxiteles to develop one of his favorite themes-a young male nude with a graceful, almost feminine body and sharply defined hips. He takes contrapposto, developed by Polykleitos a century previously, a step further, positioning the body off-balance so that the figure requires a support. The tree trunk thus plays a dual role, as a realistic, picturesque detail that evokes the stage on which the action takes place, and as a support for the figure. The rigid trunk, with its dry, rough bark, forms a sharp contrast to the smooth curves of the figure. In particular, the marks indicating the muscles have been carefully smoothed and softened.
Love that coin! They had to adapt the marble copies, because marble is more brittle than bronze. A lot of Roman sculpture was copying Greek bronzes, and they had to re-engineer the designs for the different material.
Spectacular reverse on that coin!! Really beautiful style, I love it. I was also interested to read that the Cleveland Museum thinks their sculpture is in fact a Pythian Apollo, busy destroying a malformed python symbolizing disorder. It may be that the Sauroktonos thing was all a mistake! I have a mini-collection of the Farnese Hercules: The other work of art that comes to mind is the painting of Aurora on the reverse of this Plautius Plancus denarius: The painting, by 4th century BC artist Nikomachos of Thebes, was apparently looted from Greece, and when this coin was issued in 47 BCE it was owned by the moneyer. He was proscribed and executed by Antony and Octavian in 43, and the painting was dedicated to the Capitol by his brother L. Munatius Plancus at his Gallic Triumph that year.
Beautiful stuff! I love the lil lizard running up the branch!! Here is a image on coin that was turned into one of my favorite works o'fart. The coin: The statue: And then the miniature, with some friends, in my bathroom:
I talk about my Constantine Farnese Hercules in this thread: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-twelve-labours-of-hercules.295619/#post-2726533
Interesting thread and lovely coins. I recently got a denarius of Septimius Severus with Apollo reverse. It is, I think, my favorite SS in my collection. While researching it, I found some very interesting information on one of Doug Smith's web pages: "A very different Apollo is shown on these two Imperial denarii. The god is shown fully clothed and holding his lyre. Both coins identify the subject with legends or I would never have recognized Apollo. The Commodus denarius (left) reads 'APOL PAL' identifying the figure as the Palatine Apollo. The statue by Scopas was located on the Palatine Hill. The mint workers under Trajan dedicated a statue of Apollo that is thought to be the one shown on the Alexandria mint coin of Septimius Severus (right). The type was also issued at the Rome mint. This late use could suggest that the statue was still at the mint but the possibility that this coin was simply copied from an earlier model is quite real. The exact pose is known on coins of Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius." https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/apollo.html Septimius Severus Denarius (194-195 A.D.) Rome Mint L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP IIII, laureate head right / APOLLINI AVGVSTO, Apollo standing left with patera and lyre. RIC 40; RSC 42; BMC 78 (3.55 grams / 18 mm) There's a short Wikipedia article on the Apollo Barbarini, thought to be the cult statue for the Temple of Apollo on the Palatine Hill (as mentioned in Doug's article). This is similar to my coin, but if I am reading Doug's article correctly, the Sept. Severus reverse shows the other Apollo, the statue at the mint. There are similarities for sure: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Barberini By User:Bibi Saint-Pol, own work, 2007-02-08, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1981764
There are several pose variations of the Sauroktonos on coins. They are most common in the Severan period. I prefer the young Apollo reaching toward the lizard as if his intent is to catch it with one quick grab. This may not show intent to kill. I have used the same sneak up and grab technique on local reptiles. There are also coins showing Apollo about to throw a dart to spear the lizard. Some dies show a great deal more grace in the pose than others. The coins are not rare but really nice ones with clear lizards are not common. My best is a Geta assarion from Nicopolis. It has a large and clear lizard. My Septimius of Nikopolis is a darter with arm pulled back ready to throw. Another Nikopolis has the grabber pose. This darter assarion has the diagonal leg in front of the straight leg. Try standing in this pose if you dare. This is more natural. I do have one Aurelius. I believe the city Nikopolis must have owned a copy of the statue .... or the original?
GREAT selection. I love the crazy diagonal leg, as if the celator was trying too hard to replicate the contraposto.
Not a coin, but a book: (not my photo) This book was written in 1885 by Imhoof-Blumer and Percy Gardner. I have the Argonaut printing similar to the photo above. You can download a copy from https://archive.org/details/numismaticcommen00imhoiala
