Nomos

Auction 14  –  17 May 2017

Nomos, Auction 14

Greek, Roman and Byzantine Coins

We, 17.05.2017, from 1:30 PM CEST
The auction is closed.

Description

Trajan, 98-117. Denarius (Silver, 19mm, 3.06 g 7), Rome, spring 113 - summer 114. IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS VI P P Laureate and draped bust of Trajan to right. Rev. S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI View of the Column of Trajan: showing the statue of the emperor on top, the two eagles at its base, and the entrance below. Bauten 50. BMC 452. BN 746. Cohen 558. Hill 618. RIC 292. Woytek 425v. Lightly toned, sharp and attractive. Some minor scratches, otherwise, extremely fine.

From a Swiss collection, acquired from LHS in 2008, and previously from an old Swiss collection.

Trajan’s column is one of the best known and most recognizable of all the monuments of Rome. Built to commemorate Trajan’s Dacian Wars, it was finished in 113 and commemorated by coins struck in 113/114. The sculptural frieze, illustrating the campaigns of 101-102 and 105-106, contain nearly 2500 figures (the emperor himself appears 59 times among his troops). The column was originally set between the Greek and Latin Libraries and the Basilica Ulpia at the northern end of Trajan’s Forum - viewers could have seen the reliefs from the balconies of those buildings. The statue of Trajan that was originally on top of the column disappeared at some point during medieval times: in 1587 Pope Sixtus V topped the column with a bronze statue of St. Peter. The model was made by the sculptors Leonardo Sormani (fl. c. 1551-c. 1590) and Tommaso della Porta (c. 1550-1606), and the final mold that was used for the cast in bronze was by Bastiano Torrigiani (d. 1596).

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Bidding

Price realized 1'100 CHF
Starting price 300 CHF
Estimate 375 CHF
The auction is closed.
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