The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 10, 2026

A worn, gray, pitted silver coin with irregular edges is shown from two sides. On our left, a woman's profile faces right, her wavy hair bound by a headband. Faint text lines the left edge. On our right, a winged figure in a draped garment sits on a block facing left. She holds a small bird on her extended right hand while her left hand rests on the block behind her.

Stater: Head of Nymph (Obverse); Nike (Reverse)

c. 420–400 BCE

Greek, minted at Terina

(South Italy)
silver
Diameter: 2 cm (13/16 in.)
Gift of J. H. Wade 1916.982
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Nike sits on a cippus, a pillar used as a boundary stone or grave marker.

Description

Coins from the South Italian colony of Terina are notable for their sophisticated reworkings of other cities’ designs. On the obverse of this tetradrachm is a female head with short, wavy hair, possibly modeled on the Syracusan nymph Arethousa. The reverse captures an intimate moment as Nike sits, tenderly holding a bird, much like young women in Athenian funerary sculptures.
  • {{cite web|title=Stater: Head of Nymph (Obverse); Nike (Reverse)|url=false|author=|year=c. 420–400 BCE|access-date=10 September 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.982