Lot 3491
Tiberius, 14-37 AD. Gold Aureus (7.75 g). Laureate head right of Tiberius. Reverse: Female (Livia?) seated right, holding scepter and branch. RIC 25 [as R2]; BMC 30; Calicó 305d. Nicely toned, sporting an excellent portrait of artistic merit. Extremely Fine.
Classes like the history of art and aesthetics have been and still are part of a general education in Europe. When classes are dismissed, the students traverse the 15th century cobblestone byways, enter an old bookshop to examine vellum manuscripts or feel the immense, uplifting cubic space of a cathedral to remind us we all are but children. The past cannot be escaped; it is part of life.
It is relatively easy for man or machine to measure scratches or gauge wear, but how to discern different levels of artistic style? First, compare with other known examples; in the case of coins, start with the collections of Jameson, Gulbenkian, Caruso, Leu auctions and applicable others for the zenith of numismatic art. Is there conciseness and consistency? If a portrait, to what degree has the celator given us modeling, relief, realism? Discover the great variation of skill employed by engravers, partialy depending on the emperor's involvement in coinage. Obviously, there were periods in which art reigned supreme, like the Julio-Claudian, Flavian and the Hadrianic schools. The finest master sculptors of any period created the dies for the gold coinage, as well as for large medallions and sestertii during the Roman epoch. If not a habit yet, compare the aurei of Tiberius offered here and notice the different price estimates and realizations. This is an entire life's endeavor for a numismatist.
Estimated Value $12,500 - 15,000.
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| Realized $11,385 |
