ancientbeardart:Head of Poseidon / Antigonos Doson227–221 BCE“His identity was unclear until an exce
ancientbeardart:Head of Poseidon / Antigonos Doson227–221 BCE“His identity was unclear until an exceptionally fine tetradrachm–an ancient Greek silver coin worth four drachmas–entered the MFAH collection. Minted during the reign of Macedonian king Antigonos Doson (227–221 BC), the coin provided a possible solution. The world conqueror Alexander the Great and his successors, including Antigonos Doson, associated themselves with the gods. Coins featuring Antigonos Doson portray him as Poseidon, god of the sea–a reference to his reestablishment of Macedonia’s supremacy over the sea. The bronze head and silver coin both have fine facial bone structure, deep-set eyes, full open lips, and baroque curls of hair and beard that suggest the turbulence of waves. The windswept locks are barely bound by the fillet that serves as a crown. The head and coin define the height of Greek portraiture: god and mortal intertwined with a splendid infusion of divinity and naturalism.”Museum of Fine Arts, Houston -- source link