Mysia Kyzikos. Electrum Stater circa 350-300 BC. Bearded Herakles crouching left on ground line, left knee lowered, right knee raised before him, right hand holding club over shoulder, left hand holding cornucopia, tuna fish placed vertically behind him (head upward) / Quadripartite incuse square. 15,99g. BMFA 1528; Gulbenkian 631; Jameson 2209; SNG France 342; von Fritze 209, pl. VI, 21; Warren 1482; Weber 4997. Very rare. Of excellent style. Extremely fine. Provenance: NAC 52 (7 October 2009), 161. Displayed at the White Gold exhibition in 2012. Baron Lorne Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection. The attributes most commonly associated with Herakles are the skin of the Nemean lion, the club, and the bow, symbols of his strength and heroic exploits. The hero is also linked to the myth of the cornucopia, a symbol of prosperity and inexhaustible abundance. According to tradition, Herakles broke off one of the horns of the goat Amalthea, who had nourished Zeus during his childhood while the God was hidden from his father Kronos. Endowed with the animal’s extraordinary properties, this horn became an inexhaustible source of fruits and blessings. Another version of the myth relates that Herakles tore off one of the horns of the river God Achelous during their confrontation, and that this horn was later transformed into the horn of plenty. The decision to represent Herakles with this less common attribute was probably intended to evoke the prosperity of Kyzikos. Les attributs les plus couramment associés à Hercule sont la peau du lion de Némée, la massue et l’arc, symboles de sa force et de ses exploits héroïques. Le héros est également lié au mythe de la corne d’abondance, symbole de prospérité et de richesse inépuisable. Selon la tradition, Hercule aurait brisé une corne de la chèvre Amalthée, celle qui avait nourri Zeus durant son enfance alors que le dieu se cachait de son père Cronos. Dotée des propriétés extraordinaires de l’animal, cette corne serait devenue une source inépuisable de fruits et de bienfaits. Une autre version du mythe rapporte qu’Hercule aurait arraché une corne au dieu-fleuve Achélôos lors de leur affrontement, transformant ensuite celle-ci en corne d’abondance. Le choix de représenter Hercule avec cet attribut moins courant est probablement une volonté de rappeler la prospérité de Cyzique.