S.V. Smirnov
The 'Lion Type' of Pseudo-Aristotle's Physiognomonica and the Early Hellenistic Royal Coin Portraiture: Problems of Interpretation

Abstract: The study discusses problems of identification and attribution of Hellenistic coin portraits. The author proposes to put these portraits into the context of early Hellenistic aesthetics and physiognomics. Early Hellenistic physiognomics rooted in the teaching of Aristotle and peripatetic school was outlined in the text of Physiognomonica written by an unknown follower of Aristotle. For the Hellenistic painters and artists this physiognomic guide became an important standard of portraiture. One of the most significant physiognomic types presented by Physiognomonica was the so-called 'lion type'with a number of distinctive features. Comparing of the 'lion type' with descritions of Alexander's appearance in classical tradition the author demonstrates that physiognomic nuances of the 'lion type' were used in constructing Alexander's image, including coin portraits. Taking into account the peculiarity of coin portrait and the coin itself as an image medium, the die-crafter had to use special means and tools of artistic narrative, sometimes adding optional attributes to the portrait.

Keywords: Hellenism, numismatics, iconography, 'Physiognomics', pseudo-Aristotle, portraiture

To cite this article: Smirnov S.V. The 'Lion Type' of Pseudo-Aristotle's Physiognomonica and the Early Hellenistic Royal Coin Portraiture: Problems of Interpretation. Aristeas XXII (2020): 40–58.

References
Babelon J. 1942: Le portrait dans l'antiquité d'après les monnaies. Paris.
Dahmen K. 2013: Medallions from Aboukir in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum. Lisbon.
Dorofeev L.Yu., Savchuk V.V., Svetlov R.V. 2017: Ikonografiya antichnykh filosofov: istoriya i antropologiya obrazov [Iconography of Ancient Philosophers: History and Anthropology of Images]. Saint Petersburg.
Дорофеев Д.Ю., Савчук В.В., Светлов Р.В. Иконография античных философов: история и антропология образов. СПб., 2017.
Fleischer R. 1990: Physiognomie, Ideologie, dynastische Politik. Porträts seleukidischer Könige. In: Akten des XIII. Internationalen Kongress für klassische Archäologie, Berlin 1988. Mainz. 33–36.
Fleischer R. 1996: Hellenistic Royal Iconography on Coins. In: Bilde P. (ed.) Aspects of Hellenistic Kingship. Aarchus. 28–40.
Hafner G. 1984: Prominente der Antike. 337 Portaits in Wort und Bild. Transl. into Russian by V.A. Seferyants. Moscow.
Хафнер Г. Выдающиеся портреты античности: 337 портретов в слове и образе. Пер. В.А. Сеферьянц. М., 1984. von den Hoff R. 2007: Naturalism and Classicism: Style and Perception of Early Hellenistic Portraits. In: Schultz P., von den Hoff R. (eds.). Early Hellenistic Portraiture: Image, Style, Context. Cambridge. 49–62.
Ilyushechkin V.N. 1998: Antichnaya fiziognomika [Ancient Physiognomy]. In: Marinovich L.P. (ed.) Chelovek i obschestvo v antichnom mire [Man and Society in Classical World]. Moscow. 441–465.
Илюшечкин В.Н. Античная физиогномика. В кн.: Маринович Л.П. (ред.) Человек и общество в античном мире. М., 1998. 441–465.
Kiilerich B. 1988: Physiognomics and the Iconography of Alexander. Symbolae Osloenses 53: 51–66.
Kroll J. 2007: The Emergence of Ruler Portraiture on Early Hellenistic Coins: the Importance of Being Divine. In: Schultz P., von den Hoff R. (eds.) Early Hellenistic Portraiture: Image, Style, Context. Cambridge. 113–122.
Losev A.F. 1975: Istoria antichnoi estetiki [History of Ancient Aesthetics]. 4. Moscow.
Лосев А.Ф. История античной эстетики. Т. 4. М., 1975.
Lotman Yu.M. 2005: Portret [Portait]. In: Lotman Yu.M. Ob iskusstve [On Fine Arts]. Saint Petersburg. 500–518.
Лотман Ю.М. Портрет. В кн.: Лотман Ю.М. Об искусстве. СПб., 2005. 500–518.
Nakhov I.M. 1987: Fiziognomica kak otrazhenie sposoba tipizatsii v antichnoi literature [Physiognomy as a Reflection of a Way of Typology in Classical Literature]. In: Zhivoe nasledie antichnosti. Voprosy klassicheskoi filologii [Living Heritage of Antiquity. Problems of Classical Philology]. 10. Moscow. 69–89.
Нахов И.М. Физиогномика как отражение способа типизации в античной литературе. В кн.: Живое наследие античности. Вопросы классической филологии. Вып. 10. М., 1987. 69–89.
Onians J. 1979: Art and Thought in the Hellenistic Age: the Greek World View between 350–50 BC. London.
Plantzos D. 1999: Alexander's Gaze: Peripatetic Concepts of Vision and their Influence on Hellenistic Royal Portraiture. Archaiognosia. 10: 65–86.
Pollitt J. 1986: Art in Hellenistic Age. Cambridge.
Smirnov S.V. 2013: [Arist.] Oec. II. 1345b.21–28 i problema interpretatsyi termina ταγή [[Arist.] Oec. II. 1345b.21–28 and the problem of the interpretation of the world ταγή]. Aristeas 8: 110–120.
Смирнов С.В. [Arist.] Oec. II. 1345b.21-28 и проблема интерпретации термина ταγή. Аристей 8 (2013): 110–120.
Smirnov S.V. 2020: 'Govoryastchie golovy': modusy narrativnosti tsarskogo monetnogo portreta epokhi ellenizma ['Talking heads': modes of narrativeness of the royal Hellenistic coin portraiture]. PRAXEMA. Problemy vizualnoi semiotiki [PRAXEMA. Journal of visual semiotics]. (in print)
Смирнов С.В. «Говорящие головы»: модусы нарративности царского монетного портрета эпохи эллинизма. PRAXEMA. Проблемы визуальной семиотики 2020 (в печати).
Smith R.R.R. 1987: Hellenistic Royal Portraits. Oxford.
Stewart A. 1993: Faces of Power: Alexander's Image and Hellenistic Politics Hellenistic Culture and Society. Berkley; Los Angeles; Oxford.
Trofimova A.A. 2012: Imitatio Alexandri. Portrety Aleksandra Makedonskogo i mifologicheskie obrazy v iskusstve ellinizma [Portraits of Alexander the Great and Mythological Images in Hellenistic Art]. Saint Petersburg.
Трофимова А.А. Imitatio Alexandri. Портреты Александра Македонского и мифологические образы в искусстве эллинизма. СПб., 2012.
Trofimova A.A. 2017: Sushchestvoval li portret v antichnom mire? K probleme zhanra [Did Portraiture Exist as a Genre in Classical Antiquity? About One of the Problems in Art Theory]. In: Aktual'nyye problemy teorii i istorii iskusstva [Actual Problems of Theory and History of Art]. VII. Saint Petersburg. 39–50.
Трофимова А.А. Существовал ли портрет в античном мире? К проблеме жанра. В кн.: Актуальные проблемы теории и истории искусства. Вып. 7. СПб., 2017. 39–50.
Vogt S. (ed.) 1999: Aristoteles Werke in deutscher Übersetzung. 18/6: Physiognomonica. Berlin.


Author:

S.V. Smirnov