Collection record · Small worlds
Drachm: Forepart of Lion (obverse); Head of Aphrodite (reverse)
The collection record classifies this work as coins. It is dated 465–449 BCE. Recorded culture or place: Greek, minted at Knidos (Karia).
Explore the object recordOBJECT RECORD
A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Drachm: Forepart of Lion (obverse); Head of Aphrodite (reverse)
- Date
- 465–449 BCE
- Culture / origin
- Greek, minted at Knidos (Karia)
- Materials and technique
- silver
- Dimensions
- Diameter: 1.6 cm (5/8 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1917.994
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
The lion, king of the beasts and an animal associated with regal and heroic power, featured prominently on the coinage of many ancient Greek city-states. Artists placed the lion in a variety of poses, sometimes including the whole body, at other times the foreparts or just the head. Although it may once have roamed nearby, for many Greeks the lion was a monster nearly as exotic as the Chimaera, of which it formed a part, together with a goat head and snake-headed tail.
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Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
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