DYNASTS OF LYCIA. Perikles, circa 380-360 BC. 1/6 Stater (Silver, 11 mm, 1.15 g, 8 h), Wedrแบฝi. ๐๐๐
๐-๐๐๐ ('Wedแบฝwiแบฝ' in Lycian) Lion right, attacking a bull collapsing to left with upraised head.
Rev. ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ('Perikle' in Lycian) Draped bust of Athena facing three-quarters to left, wearing triple-crested Corinthian helmet decorated with a harpy on the left cheek guard, and with her hair flowing loose; to left, small triskeles. Mรผseler VIII, 45 (
same dies). SNG von Aulock 4247-4248 (
same dies). Very rare. A beautiful example of this very interesting issue. Extremely fine.
From the Kleinkunst Collection, ex Vinchon, 11 April 1988, 523.
Lycian artists were particularly susceptible to outside influences - in the case of this beautiful coin, the die cutter copied two of the most influential Classical Greek coin types: the lion of Akanthos on the obverse and the tremendously important facing Athena of Eukleidas from Syracuse on the reverse. The latter had been copied in Lycia before, in the coinage of the dynast Vekhssere II, but on this coin, the ingenious local artist went one step further and created a wholly new image of Athena, who now wears a Corinthian rather than an Attic helmet, which is also decorated with a tiny harpy on the left cheek guard.