AR Denarius ROMAN REPUBLIC - LUCIUS CALPURNIUS PISO FRUGI - Rome unc

weight 3,90gr. | silver Ø 18mm.

obv. Head of Apollo right, hair tied with band, X behind
rev. Naked horseman galloping to right, holding palm-branch,
XIIII above, L•PISO FRVGI and ROMA-monogram below

The gens Calpurnia was a plebeian family at Rome, which appears in history during the third century BC. The first of the gens to obtain the consulship was Caius Calpurnius Piso in 180 BC, but from this time their consulships were very frequent, and the family of the Pisones became one of the most illustrious in the Roman state. Two important pieces of Republican legislation, the lex Calpurnia of 149 BC and lex Acilia Calpurnia of 67 BC were passed by members of the gens.

This coin type depicts a beautiful portrait of Apollo. Firstly, that hairstyle. It′s… a strong look. The wreath, appropriate to Apollo, is tightly tied behind his head (tassels hang behind in a loop) and the hair on his crown tightly held down in neatly combed and rather regimented rows. Hair, when neatly coiffed, shows leisure time and wealth for humans, as they can afford to spend time and money getting it just so, but of course for a god such neat hair reflects Apollo′s beauty, and his somewhat effete nature. Cascading down past the tie are very thick and somewhat heavy looking corkscrew curls. When die cutters cast around for a model to emulate, they did not simply make up an Apollo according to how they felt he should look. To a greater or lesser extent they modelled their deities on well-known representational types. We tend to be able to group even full-scale marble statues into various different types according to which famous original archetype they emulate.

Also the reverse of this coin is very interesting. It is the depiction of the horse and rider at full gallop, but the jockey holds the palm branch of victory, eliding the moment of victory and the event leading up to it in a typically Roman manner. The horse is fully stretched out. The horse is slender and lean, his neck exaggerated in its extension, his flanks tucked in, his tail streaming out at 90 degrees. His rider leans forward in the attitude of a jockey, and the overall suggestion is of a horse and rider racing military overtones are entirely lacking.

The link between the obverse is based on the family′s claim to have been instrumental in the founding of the Ludi Apollinares, at which games horseracing was a popular part. These games, founded over a century prior, enabled the moneyer to claim descent from an important and influential family. The choice of a venerable old Apollo type therefore supports their claim to longevity and ancestral importance.

♦ Amazing coin with excellent details. Mint state. Superb specimen. ♦

Crawford 340/1 | Sydenham 650-671 | Albert 1174  Sear 235
unc

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