The staters of Metapontum from the mid-4th to the mid-3rd century B.C. present a compelling blend of consistency and diversity. They are predictable due to the recurring grain-ear reverse type but display variety through the numerous portraits featured. These include depictions of Demeter, Apollo, Zeus, Heracles, Leucippus, and Tharragoras, rendered in a wide range of styles, some nearly full-facing. Among the notable exceptions is an issue showcasing the bearded head of Heracles.

In her die study of Metapontine staters, Johnston identified three dies associated with this exceptional issue. The obverse die of the coin discussed here stands out for its superior craftsmanship, suggesting it may be the prototype created by a highly skilled engraver, while the other two dies appear to be less refined copies, likely produced by apprentices. Johnston also observed this disparity in quality, proposing that different artists were involved. Furthermore, she noted that the two lesser-quality obverse dies share a common reverse die, whereas the superior obverse die is paired with its own distinct reverse die.

The sculptural inspiration for this Heracles portrait likely falls within the category of works classified as the "Farnese Hercules," best represented by the famous statue housed in the Naples Archaeological Museum. That statue is a Roman copy of a Greek original, believed to have been cast in bronze in the late 4th century B.C., possibly by Lysippus of Sicyon or an artist from his circle. The engraver of this die successfully conveyed the weariness of Heracles, capturing lifelike motion in the hair, the bowed diadem, and the beard, reminiscent of the renowned Sophocles portrait in the Vatican.

Equally intriguing is the similarity between this portrait and the finest obverse dies of roughly contemporary Roman Republican didrachms, which feature Heracles on the obverse and the she-wolf with twins on the reverse. Despite the bearded depiction on the Metapontine coin and the clean-shaven portrayal on the Roman coins, the facial features are strikingly comparable.

Metapontum. Nomos circa 290-280, AR 7.89 g. Diademed head of Heracles r., lion's skin tied around neck and club over l. shoulder. Rev. META Ear of barley with leaf to r., on which kantharos; beneath leaf, [BI]. Kraay-Hirmer pl. 85, 248. Johnston D 4.3. Historia Numorum Italy 1621

Ex Tkalec sale 28 October 1994, 22; Ex Triton 1, lot 110, December 2, 1997