Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 601 Numistats ref: 673091
No match
Roman Republican
Category
L. Torquatus. 58 BC. AR Denarius (18.5mm, 3.99 g, 6h). Rome mint. Head of Sibylla right, wearing ivy wreath; [SIBYLLA below] / Tripod surmounted by amphora between two stars; L • TORQAT downward to left, III • VIR upward to right; all within ornamented torque. Crawford 411/1a-b var. (border on obv.); Sydenham 836; Manlia 12a; BMCRR Rome 3514 corr. (no border on obv.); Kestner –; RBW –. Toned and lustrous with hints of iridescence, light scratches, a few spots of find patina. EF. From dies of fine style.
Ex Bertolami Fine Arts 67 (11 July 2019), lot 288.
The moneyer Lucius Manlius Torquatus, later famous as a champion of Cicero and enemy of Caesar, was a member of the Quindecimviri Sacris Faciundis, a religious collegium responsible for consulting the Sibylline Books in times of crisis. The three books were allegedly the work of a prophetess, the Sibyl of Cumae, whose cryptic pronouncements predicted the future of Rome for those able to properly interpret them. The Sibyl (here named Sibylla) is depicted on the obverse of this attractive silver denarius. According to Ovid, the Sibyl was a beautiful young woman who captivated the god Apollo (represented by the tripod on the reverse). The god offered to grant her any wish in return for her virginity. She scooped up a handful of sand and asked to live as many years as the number of grains within it. However, she had neglected to ask for eternal youth, and so, over 1,000 years, her body withered away until only her voice remained. Description
Ex Bertolami Fine Arts 67 (11 July 2019), lot 288.
The moneyer Lucius Manlius Torquatus, later famous as a champion of Cicero and enemy of Caesar, was a member of the Quindecimviri Sacris Faciundis, a religious collegium responsible for consulting the Sibylline Books in times of crisis. The three books were allegedly the work of a prophetess, the Sibyl of Cumae, whose cryptic pronouncements predicted the future of Rome for those able to properly interpret them. The Sibyl (here named Sibylla) is depicted on the obverse of this attractive silver denarius. According to Ovid, the Sibyl was a beautiful young woman who captivated the god Apollo (represented by the tripod on the reverse). The god offered to grant her any wish in return for her virginity. She scooped up a handful of sand and asked to live as many years as the number of grains within it. However, she had neglected to ask for eternal youth, and so, over 1,000 years, her body withered away until only her voice remained. Description
fine
Grade
862.88 EUR
Starting
1438.13 EUR
Estimate
EUR
Realized