Tetradrachm (Coin) Depicting the God Apollo Gryneios

189 BCE or later

Greek; minted in Myrina, Aeolis, Asia Minor (now Turkey)

The front (obverse) of this coin depicts the head of the god Apollo, laureate, facing to the right. The back (reverse) depicts Apollo marching right, holding a patera and garlanded laurel branch; at his feet are an omphalos and diota.

This coin is recognized as one of the most beautiful examples of minting from antiquity. Apollo is wearing a wreath of laurel, which was his sacred plant. In his youth Apollo pursued a nymph named Daphne (another name for laurel), who chose to turn into a laurel tree to escape the god.

Status: On View, Gallery 151
Department: Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture: Ancient Greek
Title: Tetradrachm (Coin) Depicting the God Apollo Gryneios
Place: Greece (Minted in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 200 BCE–1 BCE
Medium: Silver
Inscriptions: Reverse: ΜΥΡΙΝΑΙΩΝ
Dimensions: Diam.: 3.6 cm (1 7/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Martin A. Ryerson
Reference Number: 1922.4927
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/96056/manifest.json

Karen B. Alexander, “From Plaster to Stone: Ancient Art at the Art Institute of Chicago,” in Karen Manchester, Recasting the Past: Collecting and Presenting Antiquities at the Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012), p.29.

Art Institute of Chicago, Of Gods and Glamour: The Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art, Gallery 151, November 11, 2012 - present.

Martin A. Ryerson (1856-1932), Chicago; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.

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