Kimon (die cutter)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Decadrachm of the kimon

Kimon ( ancient Greek Κίμων ) was a Greek coin die cutter who worked in the period between 415 and 400 BC. Was active in the Sicilian Syracuse .

life and work

Decadrachms of the Euainetus and the Kimon

Kimon was the creator of the first decadrachms of Syracuse and the first die cutter to reproduce the head of the goddess Arethusa, characteristic of Syracuse's coins, in front view. He left his signature on many coin dies. Here, as with other details, he showed his filigree skills. So he put his signature on the front of the first series of Dekadrachmens in tiny letters on one of the segment bars under the horses of the quadriga shown in the center . On the back he also signed the letters ΚΙΜ on the goddess' headband. On the reverse side stamps of the later series he also signs here with his full name, now on a dolphin under the neck section. In the case of the stamps with the frontal view of Arethusa, he again signs on the headband of the goddess. Kimon created these tetradrachm stamps as a front side stamp after the old reverse side stamps with the representation of the Thama head , the work of the stamp cutter Eukleidas , had split in two. At this time Kimon also created the first stamps for the first Syracuse gold coins with a value of 100 liters . He signed them with a simple Κ , ΚΙ or ΚΙΜ . But after a very short time, Euainetos took over the design of the gold coins. Kimon also designed coins of lower denominations, and not all of his stamps are signed.

In his portraits of goddesses, Kimon played with the plasticity that the high coin relief offered him. It is different with the coins with the frontal representations of Arethusa. Here Kimon uses more gentle means, such as the hint of fluttering hair, from which dolphins also appear, to create effects. The association of these effects with wind and sea is obvious. He again shows the Quadriga at full speed and thus achieves an extremely dynamic effect. A novelty is the depiction of a four-legged team that blasts around a curve, is accompanied by a flying Nike and on which the charioteer turns around to his pursuers with fluttering hair. Kimon lived in Syracuse at a time when the city was particularly successful. 413 BC BC they defeated the Athenians in their own Syracuse port. The unusual shape of the decadrachms as well as the issue of gold coins are probably related to this success. Unlike Euainetos or Phrygillos , for example , Kimon worked exclusively for the Syracusan Mint . Here, thanks to the external circumstances, he was able to fully develop his skills. His creations are not only considered to be among the best works of Greek coin art, his mint dies are also among the highest-ranking Greek works of art of the last quarter of the 5th century BC. Chr.

literature

Web links

Commons : Kimon  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Kimon
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Greek coin die cutter
DATE OF BIRTH 5th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 4th century BC Chr.