Art Institute of Chicago
Stater (Coin) Depicting the Siren Parthenope
Greek, minted in Neapolis (now Naples), ItalyLinkedCulture matchlcp-96239e094cf1
- Date
- 280-241 BCE
- Medium
- Silver
- Culture
- Kavála
- Department
- Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
- Institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Object ID
- 5748
From the Art Institute of Chicago record
The front (obverse) of this coin depicts the head of Parthenope to the left with a symbol behind. The back (reverse) depicts a man-headed bull to right, crowned by Nike. During Odysseus’s return from the Trojan War, which is recounted in Homer’s Odyssey, Parthenope and other Sirens tried to lure his ship onto rocks with their beautiful song. When they failed, Parthenope drowned herself and washed ashore at Neapolis (modern Naples), where she was honored as the local goddess. Coins like this were issued during the festivals and games that were dedicated to Parthenope.
The authoritative record is held by Art Institute of Chicago. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.
Get printable QR codesHide QR codes
Open QR codes for this object page and the museum record. They stay collapsed until needed.
Provenance & credit
As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.
- Credit line
- Gift of Martin A. Ryerson
- Provenance
- Martin A. Ryerson (1856-1932), Chicago; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.
Linked open data
Authority identifiers that link this record into the wider web of cultural data — stable references you can follow to the source.
- Object type
- AAT300037334
Related across collections
Semantically similar works from Art Institute of Chicago and other institutions.