Marcus Antonius with P. Sepullius Macer AR Denarius, Veiled head with mourning beard.

Marcus Antonius - AR Denarius, M. Antonius as Consul (43-30 BC), with P. Sepullius Macer, as moneyer.  (20mm, 4,02 g., 12h).  Rome, May-April 44 BC. Veiled head of Antony right, with mourning beard; oenochoe right behind, lituus right below chin / P•SEPVLLIVS / MACER, desultor right on horseback, wearing conical cap, reins in left hand, whip in right; second horse behind, palm frond and wreath at left. Crawford 480/22. Sydenham 1077. Antonia 2.

Wonderful toning, sound metal, sligthtly off center. Very fine.

This, the first portrait coin of Marc Antony, depicts him veiled and bearded in heavy mourning for his friend and patron Julius Caesar, who had been murdered during a Senate session only weeks before. One can imagine Antony being similarly attired as he delivered his famous funeral oration, later dramatized by Shakespeare, where he roused the Roman mob to fury and drove the assassins from the city. 

The reverse of this coin depicts a desultor, or a skilled rider that would jump from between multiple horses while the horses were in motion. This equestrian showmanship became part of the Parilian festival, an event that was celebrated every year on 21 April. The Parilia was originally a pastoral holiday, but throughout Rome's history it was adapted to fit the urbanized lives of the Romans and eventually became associated with the Founding of Rome (dies natalis). For example, in 45 BC, to celebrate his decisive victory in Munda, Julius Caesar added games to the ceremony, wanting to associate himself with Romulus and the Founding of Rome. Following Caesar's assassination earlier in the year, the combination of the riders with the obverse type, Marc Antony likely wanted to remind people of Caesar's clemency and his philanthropy towards the Romans, in order to prop up his own association and to gain support for his causes.

Provenance from Jean Elsen & ses Fils Auction 154 Lot Nr. 429 17 March 2023

Referencia : Crawford 480/22; Sydenham 1077; Antonia 2.

Colección : Roman Imperatorial collection