Gold Sovereigns

Discuss the culture of Alexander's world and his image in art

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bessusww
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Gold Sovereigns

Post by bessusww »

I would like to as the experts here some advice on a Gold Soveriwgh 1910...That I got hold of lately.

Now is it just me but im pretty sure the Depiction of St Geaorge Slaying the Dragon on the back is very much like the famouse frescos and pictures of the young Alexander with an advesary under the horses foot.

Remove the Dragon on the soveriegn and to me its Alexander,The Horse on the coin is bare backed. Only the head gear is different even the cape is Alexander???

Now I'm not nationalist or in anyway give a rats bum about the British Royal family.I cant wait till the Royal Wedding is over. Just a load of free loaders paid for by the tax payers no bettter than benefit scroungers. No offence to Royalists!
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Re: Gold Sovereigns

Post by bessusww »

I do think its a depiction of Alexander adjusted.

If Porthonians agree...Would it be ok to have the face grinded smooth and the Gragon Similaly removed and to have the manes of My Family Engraved on the smooth face....Could I say that my coin is Alexander The Great and have it mounted in a sovereign pendant mount any advice.

Some may say it devalues the coin but not to me...Gold costs more to buy and hardly financialy rewarding to sell
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marcus
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Re: Gold Sovereigns

Post by marcus »

bessusww wrote:I do think its a depiction of Alexander adjusted.

If Porthonians agree...Would it be ok to have the face grinded smooth and the Gragon Similaly removed and to have the manes of My Family Engraved on the smooth face....Could I say that my coin is Alexander The Great and have it mounted in a sovereign pendant mount any advice.

Some may say it devalues the coin but not to me...Gold costs more to buy and hardly financialy rewarding to sell
I think you're thinking of the depiction of Alexander on the "Porus Medallion". I would very much doubt that the original designers were copying that - there are/were many, many depictions of George and the Dragon from the Renaissance onwards, and the Porus Medallions were discovered (late 19th century, if my memory serves me correctly).

So if you were to say that the coin is Alexander then you wouldn't really be telling the truth ... but I suppose if you wished to say that it represents an image of Alexander then I suppose that's OK.

I won't become baited by your comments about the Royal Family. I am not especially Royalist in my leanings, although I am by no means a republican, but I think your description is largely unfair. Still, that's not at all relevant to this forum.

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bessusww
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Re: Gold Sovereigns

Post by bessusww »

Marcus


No not the Porus medalions///The Scene I cant quite say where its from but I hace a cast of what looks like a marble bust,,,Where Alexander is on a relaitively small harse and hes got a Enemy under the horses feet.

Alexander doesnt have Greek helmet but the Lion mask Helmetr...Its just alexander and the horse are near exact to the St George Picture.

Look up a few of the Alexander mounted images I think you may wee what i mean??
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Re: Gold Sovereigns

Post by bessusww »

Sorry Marcus


The Image Im thinking of is from The Alexander Sarcophacus..A few wardrobe differences...

St George on the Soveriegns does Look Ancient Greek...Would St George have been on a saddled horse...Maybe I need more info St George is about ar real as a Dragon.

The Image of a warrior on a horse in such a way doel look Ancient Greek
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Re: Gold Sovereigns

Post by marcus »

bessusww wrote:Sorry Marcus


The Image Im thinking of is from The Alexander Sarcophacus..A few wardrobe differences...

St George on the Soveriegns does Look Ancient Greek...Would St George have been on a saddled horse...Maybe I need more info St George is about ar real as a Dragon.

The Image of a warrior on a horse in such a way doel look Ancient Greek
From the other post I realised you were thinking of the Sarcophagus - I was looking at it about 10 minutes ago!

St George would have been on a saddled horse. Probably no stirrups, though.

St George himself might well have existed - no reason to disbelieve his existence. The dragon, however, I suspect, was not ... :)

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bessusww
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Re: Gold Sovereigns

Post by bessusww »

Thanks Marcus

I've looked more closely at the Sovereign and Googled pictures of them....I know little about Saints and Shameful to say nothing a about Saint George It only became more apparent today As I noticed households displaying the Cross of Saint George.

All I'm aware is that he was not even English. But further study on the coins does show the Figure of Ancient Greece.

The Image cant Be Spartan or Athenian they were hardly known as horseman..The picture does not look Roman...Would you hazzard a guess or do you know when St George was alive?
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Re: Gold Sovereigns

Post by bessusww »

Sorry for the thread

Ive looked up St george Aparently not a lot of historical history...But theory he was a Roman of the 3rd Century AD living in Syria.

The images throughout google indeed represent various stages of Costume throughout histories. If that makes sense.Some with Armour. the later eras...I recall seing Rembrants picture af Alexander looking pretty woman like with feathers.

I suppose if batman was from centuries ago he would bear costomes and Chracteristics of changing eras.

Now putting all that aside...On my coin erase the dragon and the figure could in my opinion be Alexander...But indeed its still only an opinion...If asked and I said it were Alexander someone knowing sovereigns would say no its not...That its St George.

There is no real history that Alexander looked like that but a lot of the statues and images done later do look like him
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Re: Gold Sovereigns

Post by marcus »

bessusww wrote:The Image Im thinking of is from The Alexander Sarcophacus..A few wardrobe differences...
This is the one you mean, of course:
Turkey_2006_551xx.JPG
Turkey_2006_551xx.JPG (95.36 KiB) Viewed 3120 times
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