The Erotic Satyr and the Nymph
525-480 BC Macedon Stater NGC CH XF*
Macedonian Stater featuring the Satyr Abducting the Nymph
One of just 13 Certified Examples!
Just 2 Known CH XF Stars with 1 Finer.
An Example sold in October 2021 for $41,489 USD in Europe!
Many ancient Greek coins bear overtly erotic designs, as a reference to spirits of nature rather than Olympian gods, celebrating the fecundity of fields and flocks. On this coin, the nymph is partially dressed, implied buttocks exposed, minted to illustrate a ritual abduction. An example of how the early Greeks approached the interplay of nymphs and satyrs, expressing joie-de-vivre which is not found on other ancient coins.
This coin contains the satyr and nymph motif, a highly sexually charged design showing the ferocious and aroused satyr abusing the mannered nymph. Such images of wilderness clashing with civilization were especially popular in frontier regions such as the Thraco-Macedonian coast, where Greek colonies came into close contact with the native 'barbarian' tribes.
The Satyr mythologically was known to be aggressive toward nymphs and personified the male spirit of nature. They were known to love wine, music, dancing, and of course, women. The Nymph is the female nature deity – known for their personification of young attractive women – and their natural fertility and abilities to grow trees, they were very much known to be friendly, favorable, and sympathetic.
The Satyr and the Nymph represent the balance of nature and the depiction of Male and Female sexuality in a mythological representation.
With only one graded finer at NGC, this coin not only depicts this historical indulgence but celebrates it in the form of ritualistic hedonism. A perfect representation of Greek mythology and ancient ideology wrapped into one.
