Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 3 . 677
Roman Imperial
Category
Augustus. 27 BC-AD 14. AR Denarius (21mm, 3.82 g, 6h). Uncertain Spanish mint (Colonia Patricia?). Struck circa 18-17/16 BC. Bare head left / AVGVSTVS below, capricorn right, holding globe attached to rudder between front hooves; cornucopia above its back. RIC I 130; RSC 22; BMCRE 307-8 (Emerita) = BMCRR Gaul 126-7; BN 1354-7 (Nimes). Faint hairlines. Superb EF. Well struck and fully lustrous. From the Viggo Collection. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 64 (17 May 2012), lot 1044 (hammer CHF 10,000).According to Suetonius, Augustus had been born while the moon was in the sign of Capricorn. Seeing this as a sign of his great destiny, Augustus associated the symbol closely with himself by striking it on coins and incorporating it into numerous works of art, so that it became a standard part of the imperial iconography. In order to legitimize their own claims, his successors periodically employed the capricorn imagery on their own coinage. Adding the cornucopia, or horn of plenty, to the back of the capricorn symbolizes the prosperity brought about by the emperor.
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EUR
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EUR
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