Lot 459
Saxony. Johann Georg II (1656-1680). Silver Klippe Taler, 1678. For the shooting match at Dresden. Capped arms in Order band with motto, arms in four corners. Rev. Hercules standing with club, 1 THAL below, date in Roman numerals (Dav 7636; KM 562; Schnee 960). In NGC holder graded MS 62. Value $1,500 - UP
The obverse of this klippe thaler features uses heraldry to advertise the honors and possessions of Johann Georg II. In the center, the arms of the Arch-Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire are surrounded by the English Order of the Garter while the arms of the United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg are depicted in the left, right, and bottom corners. The arms of the Duchy and Electorate of Saxony appear in the top corner. The German reverse inscription EINWEYH D NEUEN SCHIESHAUSES informs us that the coin was struck to inaugurate a new shooting gallery for the Schützenfest held in Dresden in 1678. Hercules is depicted here as the patron of archery. Although he carries no bow, the Greco-Roman hero is shown holding his club in his right hand and an apple of the Hesperides in his left. According to the literary tradition preserved in the Argonautica of Apollonius Rhodius, Hercules obtained the apples by shooting the guardian dragon Ladon with arrows poisoned with the blood of the Hydra. Hercules also plays into the public image that Johann Georg II actively developed for himself. The image of the hero was regularly invoked on the anniversaries of his investiture as Elector of Saxony and celebrated in firework displays related to his exploits. A Schützenfest celebrated in connection with this anniversary in 1675 involved shooting at targets in the shapes of Ladon, the Lernean Hydra, and Cerberus.
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| Realized $2,520 |
