Farnese Hercules

223, Lot: 326. Estimate $100. Sold for $76. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

ACHAEA, Patrae. Marcus Aurelius. AD 161-180. Æ Assarion (18mm, 5.64 g, 11h). Laureate head right / Herakles standing right, leaning on grounded club and holding apples behind back. BCD Peloponnesos 556.4. Near VF, green patina.

Ex BCD Collection (not in previous BCD sales).

The model for this reverse type is a Hellenistic sculpture copied by the Romans - the most famous copy being Glykon’s ‘Farnese Hercules’ that was discovered in the excavations of the Baths of Caracalla in 1546. The statue depicts the hero at rest after completing his Labors: he is shown standing with his club propped under his left arm, supporting the weight of his muscular frame, his head slightly nodding forward in a weary attitude, and he holds the apples of the Hesperides behind his back in his right hand.