Sicily Katane. Tetradrachm signed by Herakleidas, circa 405 BC. Laureate head of Apollo facing, slightly turned left, his hair in curls blown by the wind; to right, in small letters, the signature / Quadriga rushing left, driven by a charioteer who holds the reins in both hands; before him, Nike hovering right, alighting on the reins, holding kerykeion in her left hand and raising her right to crown the driver; in exergue, below legend, grey mullet swimming left. 17,05g. Basel 338 (same dies); Gulbenkian 192 (same dies); Rizzo pls. XIV, 11 and XVI, 3 (same dies); SNG Lloyd 902 (same dies). An extraordinary three-quarter facing portrait. Very rare and most important, a coin of great elegance struck in high relief. Extremely fine. Provenance: Tkalec (23 October 1992), 36. Leu 72 (12 may 1998), 74. Thyssen-Kaplan Collection, NGSA 9 (14 December 2015), 9. NGSA 12 (18 November 2019), 107. This tetradrachm belongs to the extremely select group of ancient coins to bear the name of the artist who engraved the dies. It echoes alongside two slightly earlier Syracusan masterpieces: the facing portrait of Athena engraved by Eucleidas around 410 BC, and the facing portrait of the nymph Arethusa engraved by Kimon five years later. While the quadriga usually appears on the obverse of Sicilian coinage, Herakleidas chose to place it on the reverse in order to give full prominence to his portrait of Apollo. This choice is a striking testament to the remarkable artistic freedom enjoyed by Greek engravers of the period. The portrait, shown almost facing, rivals the finest works of Syracuse in virtuosity. Not only are Apollos youth and beauty perfectly rendered, but the image as a whole conveys a solar aura that allows the young God to be identified instinctively. The reverse likewise contains a feature that testifies to the artists talent. The horses of the chariot appear ready to bolt. The charioteer is tense on the reins, attempting to avert the imminent catastrophe. It is a true snapshot of a race as actually witnessed by the artist. The event lasted a quarter of a second... 2,400 years ago.