ANCIENT GREECE - GREEK Sicily, Leontini. Tetradrachma, coined by the "Master of the Demareteion" (or his school) ND (c.480 or c.466 BC), Leontini. Av. Quadriga pacing right, led by charioteer, under Victory flying left, crowning charioteer; in exergue, lion right. Rv. ΛEO[NTI] - NO - N. Head of Apollo right, laureate, between three leaves with veins; below, a lion. SNG ANS 218 - Dewing 622 = Jameson 626 - De Luynes 991 - Rizzo pl. 22/14 ; Silver - 17,22 g - 26 mm - 11 h NGC Ch XF 5/5 3/5 (6559582-002). Good centering on a slightly oblong blank. Slight wear on the high relief. A small black spot on the periphery. The grey patina shows bluish highlights. A rare item. Superb. In 496 BC. Leontini was conquered by Hippocrates, the tyrant of Gela, and preserved under his successor Gelon I. Gelon I won a great victory over Hamilcar's vast Punic army in 480 BC. The Carthaginians had to pay 2,000 talents of silver in compensation, which was used to mint large quantities of coins. The influence of Syracuse is evident on our Leontini tetradrachm, which has been attributed to an anonymous engraver from Syracuse, known as the "Master of the Demareteion", or at least to his school. The series takes its name from Queen Demarete of Syracuse, wife of the tyrant Gelon, who is said to have been personally involved in defending the defeated Carthaginians in their peace negotiations after the Battle of Himera in 479 BC (Diodorus Siculus, XI.26.3). In exchange, they offered him a gold crown, from which a gold coin was minted and called Demareteion. For R. Ross Holloway, "The Lion of Damarete", ANSMN XI, pp. 1-11, the Syracuse and Léontini works are by the same hand, but Carmen Arnold-Biucchi, in her work on the Randazzo treasure, sees rather an influence from the master, but not his work [the Léontini coin being from a few years later and in a more developed realistic style]. The obverse, with its slow quadriga, is directly borrowed from Syracusan tetradrachms and decadrachms, while the head of Apollo on the reverse takes its features from the head of Arethusa, surrounded by four dolphins, while the head of Apollo is surrounded by three laurel leaves and a lion. The latter, leon in Greek, was used as an emblem for the city. * Following Council Directive (EU) 2022/542 of April 5, 2022, implemented in national law from 01/01/2025, buyers from within the EU have to pay 5.5% VAT on the hammer price of this lot. * Following Council Directive (EU) 2022/542 of April 5, 2022, implemented in national law from 01/01/2025, buyers from within the EU have to pay 5.5% VAT on the hammer price of this lot.