Contorniates. Late 4th century AD. Æ Contorniate (35mm, 28.16 g, 12h). Bust of Omphale left, wearing Hercules’ lion skin, resting club on raised right arm / Hercules, nude, standing right, restraining the centaur Nessus with his left knee placed upon Nessus’ lowered hind quarters and grabbing him by the hair with his left hand while brandishing club in right hand; Nessus struggling against Hercules to right with his left hand raised; tree to left. Cf. Alföldi, Kontorniat pp. 86-7, 66 and pl. 23, 9-11 (for type and similar Omphale obverses) and pl. 19, 3 (for similar reverse). Dark brown surfaces with some green and red, scratches, tooling on obverse. Good VF. Extremely rare. A wonderful pairing with an equally interesting obverse and reverse composition.
Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 100 (29 May 2017), lot 726 (hammer CHF 7,500 – there Omphale misidentified as Hercules).
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