Greek Coins Sicily, Catana

Tetradrachm work of the “Maestro della Foglia”, circa 415-410, AR 27 mm, 17.2 g. Slow quadriga r. driven by charioteer, wearing long chiton and holding reins with both hands; above, Nike flying l. to crown him. Rev. KATANAIOΣ Laureate head of Apollo r., with short hair; behind, plane leaf. Mirone 45 (this obverse die). Giesecke, Sicilia Numismatica, pl. 4, 8 (these dies). Rizzo pl. 11, 15 and pl. 12, 10 (these dies). Rizzo, Intermezzo, p. 16, 8c (this obverse die) and p. 18, 6 (reverse of this coin). Boston, MFA 263 (these dies). AMB 331 (these dies).
Very rare and among the finest specimens known. Struck on a large flan and with a delightful portrait of Apollo, a splendid example of craftsmanship of the celebrated “Maestro della Foglia”. The obverse from a slightly rusty die and with a die-break on reverse, otherwise extremely fine

Ex Leu 33, 1983, 224 and Nomos 8, 2013, 39 sales. From the B.d.B. collection.
This beautiful tetradrachm is the work of the “Maestro della foglia”, dubbed thus for his habit of “signing” his work with a special type of leaf, instead of the usual initials or name: on the left side of the reverse of this coin we find an apion leaf next to the neatly designed head of Apollo, wearing a laurel crown in his hair. Apart from guaranteeing the authenticity (sphragis) of the master engraver, the apion leaf motif (an apion crown was also first prize for winners of the games of Nemea in Argolis), is coherent with the image of Apollo as discoverer of the healing effects of plants, a quality which the god shared with Esculapius, according to the great Pythagoras, as Pliny the Elder informs us (Naturalis Historia XXV, 13). On other coins with greater mythological coherence, the Maestro’s signature is represented by a laurel leaf. Cf. Plin., Nat. hist. XII 3: “Some species of trees are particularly protected as each of them is dedicated to one divinity such as the Mediterranean oak to Jupiter, the laurel to Apollo, the olive to Minerva, the myrtle to Venus and the poplar to Hercules”.