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Lot Essay
Arsinoë II (circa 316-270 B.C.) endured a violent and tumultuous life against the fractured political landscape of the newly-formed Hellenistic kingdoms after the death of Alexander the Great. Her father, Ptolemy I Soter, founded Egypt’s Ptolemaic dynasty and controlled large sections of the eastern Mediterranean. After the death of her first husband, King Lysimachus of Thrace and Macedonia, Arsinoë II married Lysimachus’ rival, her half-brother Ptolemy Keraunos, to secure the Thracian throne for her sons. This union ended in a bloodbath, with her sons Lysimachus and Philip murdered. Arsinoë then fled to Samothrace before settling in Egypt where she married her brother, Ptolemy II (later given the epithet Philadelphus, “Lover of His Sister”).
In Egypt, Arsinoë set a model for future Ptolemaic queens, actively taking part in managing the empire and advising her husband. Portraits of Ptolemy II often show him alongside Arsinoë, perhaps most notably in the Gonzaga Cameo, now in St. Petersburg. While the popular view of Arsinoë is that of a manipulating, Lady Macbeth-like character, E.D. Carney surmises that these may be the views of later authors of dubious quality and motivations (see p. 9 in Arsinoe of Egypt and Macedon: A Royal Life).
This portrait, said to be from Cyprus, is closely related to one from Soloi, now in the Cyprus Museum (see fig. 4.2 in W.A.P. Childs, et al., eds., City of Gold: The Archaeology of Polis Chrysochous, Cyprus). Arsinoë’s large eyes, angular nose and hair pulled back and over her ears are features similarly observed on coins of the period (see pl. 75, no. 5 in R.R.R. Smith, ed., Hellenistic Royal Portraits). On this portrait, much of her hair is roughly hewn, which together with several mortises suggests that it was finished in separately-made marble or plaster adjuncts.
Ptolemy II founded three cities named after his sister/wife on the island; this example is said to be from the city now known as Famagusta. A cult surrounding Arsinoë II was active on Cyprus and many of the extant sculptures, altars, and inscribed blocks attest to her popularity (see p. 118 in D. Hadjisavvas, ed., From Ishtar to Aphrodite: 3200 Years of Cypriot Hellenism).
In Egypt, Arsinoë set a model for future Ptolemaic queens, actively taking part in managing the empire and advising her husband. Portraits of Ptolemy II often show him alongside Arsinoë, perhaps most notably in the Gonzaga Cameo, now in St. Petersburg. While the popular view of Arsinoë is that of a manipulating, Lady Macbeth-like character, E.D. Carney surmises that these may be the views of later authors of dubious quality and motivations (see p. 9 in Arsinoe of Egypt and Macedon: A Royal Life).
This portrait, said to be from Cyprus, is closely related to one from Soloi, now in the Cyprus Museum (see fig. 4.2 in W.A.P. Childs, et al., eds., City of Gold: The Archaeology of Polis Chrysochous, Cyprus). Arsinoë’s large eyes, angular nose and hair pulled back and over her ears are features similarly observed on coins of the period (see pl. 75, no. 5 in R.R.R. Smith, ed., Hellenistic Royal Portraits). On this portrait, much of her hair is roughly hewn, which together with several mortises suggests that it was finished in separately-made marble or plaster adjuncts.
Ptolemy II founded three cities named after his sister/wife on the island; this example is said to be from the city now known as Famagusta. A cult surrounding Arsinoë II was active on Cyprus and many of the extant sculptures, altars, and inscribed blocks attest to her popularity (see p. 118 in D. Hadjisavvas, ed., From Ishtar to Aphrodite: 3200 Years of Cypriot Hellenism).