| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 150 | Auction date: 2 December 2024 |
| Lot number: 766 Price realized: 5,500 CHF (Approx. 6,242 USD / 5,910 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Cleopatra with Marcus Antonius. Denarius, mint moving with M. Antonius 32, AR 17 mm, 3.21 g. CLEOPATRAE ·REGINAE·REGVM·FILIORVM·REGVM Draped and diademed bust of Cleopatra r. Rev. ANTONI· ARMENIA·DEVICTA Head of M. Antonius r.; behind, Armenian tiara. Babelon Antonia 95. C 1. Sydenham 1210. Sear Imperators 345. RBW 1832. Crawford 543/1. Rare. Two attractive portrait of fine style and a lovely old cabinet tone. Minor areas of weakness, otherwise good very fine Ex Baldwin's 42, 2005, C. Boyd, 129 and Heritage 3054, 2017, 30203 sales. Privately purchased from Spink in December 1894. From the Peter Bowe collection. As the struggle between Marcus Antonius and Octavian dragged on in the 30s B.C., the geographical and political lines became ever more defined. Antony had become entrenched in the Eastern Mediterranean, and in doing so had allied himself with Cleopatra VII, queen of Egypt, whose original supporter in Rome, Julius Caesar, had been murdered years before. She had his son, Caesarion, at her side, but she needed an ally like Antonius if she hoped to preserve Egypt from the ever-widening grasp of Rome. Importantly, Antonius was easier to manipulate than Octavian, who had no sympathy for Cleopatra's motives. Although this woman of blinding intellect may have found her marriage to Antonius a degrading experience, personally, she was crafty enough to realise it was her only chance at survival. Hence, she was probably eager to issue dual-portrait coins, such as the denarius offered here. Little more indication is necessary to recognise that Cleopatra had effectively dominated her husband, the Roman warlord Antonius. Graded Ch VF strike: 4/5, surface 4/5, NGC certification number 4278412-001. Estimate: 3000 CHF |  |
