2018-09-26 Wed

On 20th September, San Marino released a commemorative €2 coin to celebrate the 420th birth anniversary of the great 17th-century sculptor - Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Bernini was responsible for introducing the Baroque style of sculpture.

Born on 7th December 1598, Bernini got his big break when he was appointed as the architect of Saint Peter’s Basilica. The versatile artist was known for blending architecture, sculpture and painting as a single form of expression.

The obverse features the popular marble statue “Bust of Costanza Bonarelli” which is currently showcased at the National Museum of Bargello in Florence. It is considered to be one of the best artworks of the Baroque era. The statue beautifully showcases the grace and elegance of a woman. The reverse depicts a map of the European Union. The outer copper-aluminium-nickel ring features 12 stars of the European flag. The 8.5 grams ringed-bimetallic coin has a copper-nickel core and a total diameter of 25.75 millimetres. A total of 60,500 coins have been struck in Uncirculated condition, each of which can be purchased for €16.

Image Courtesy: The European Commission