2017-02-18 Sat

The 100th death anniversary of the French artist and sculptor Auguste Rodin is remembered on a series of coins including a 2017 French 2 Euro bimetallic circulating commemorative coin.

Auguste Rodin, known for his 19th-century sculpture The Thinker, was born on 12th November 1840 and died in 1917. He is popularly known as a forefather of modern sculptural arts and was trained in traditional sculpture. His works were based on mythology and human realism by using clay to create complex yet beautiful sculptures. His creations were appreciated by government officials, individuals and artists.

His 1876 sculpture, The Age of Bronze was so realistic that he was wrongly accused of casting a real human model. He then created The Kiss (1889) and The Thinker, which was conceived as a plaster piece circa 1880 and later became popular as a bronze cast in 1904. He is also remembered for Cupid and Psyche (1898), The Gates of Hell (1917), and Eve (1881). He completed thousands of prints and drawings as well.

The obverse of the new bimetallic 2017 French 2 Euro coin features his portrait, sporting a rugged beard along with his famous work, The Thinker. He is also honoured on France’s 2017 10 Euro and 100 Euro commemorative silver coins with the same obverse design.

Other inscriptions include are replication of his signature “A. Rodin”, "1917-2017”, RF for Republique Francaise, the mintmark of the French Mint - a cornucopia, a small pentagon - French Mint Director Yves Sampo’s trademark.

The reverse features a geographical outline of Europe with the word EURO and six vertical bars. The 12 stars of the European Union are represented in a unique way. A large "2" for 2 Euro denomination and the artist Luycx’s initials, LL are also depicted.

The 2017 Auguste Rodin 2 Euro Bimetallic Coin has a reeded edge with the the inscription "2 * * 2 * * 2 * * 2 * * 2 * * 2 * *".