Philadelphia (AD 161-180) AE 26

Time of Marcus Aurelius, 161-180 AD. AE26 (8.39g, 6h). Draped bust of the Senate right / Twin spiral columns surmounted by an arch, within which stands Aphrodite, nude, covering herself with her hands. Extremely Rare. Good Very Fine.

The reverse of this extremely rare and superbly preserved coin depicts a Hellenistic or Roman statue of Aphrodite of the ‘Venus Pudica’ type, a style born from the masterwork of the sculptor Praxiteles - the renowned Aphrodite of Knidos, which was the first life sized representation of the nude female form. Such was its beauty and fame in antiquity that it was extensively copied; though the positions of Venus’ hands sometimes changed (in this case the left hand) the basic form remained unchanged. Praxiteles’ original did not survive; it may have been removed to Constantinople and destroyed during the Nika riots.