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Thursday 23 December 2021

2162) Francisco de Goya, Spain: 275th Anniversary (1746-2021): Gold and Silver Proof coins issued by the Fabrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre FNMT — Real Casa de la Moneda mark the 275th Anniversary of Goya's birth: Year of Coin issue: 2021:

2162) Francisco de Goya, Spain: 275th Anniversary (1746-2021): Gold and Silver Proof coins issued by the Fabrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre FNMT — Real Casa de la Moneda mark the 275th Anniversary of Goya's birth: Year of Coin issue: 2021:

About the Coins issued by the Fabrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre FNMT - Real Casa de la Moneda (the Spanish Mint):

The Fabrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre FNMT — Real Casa de la Moneda has issued a new collection of collector coins to honour one of the most celebrated artists who is regarded as one of the most outstanding painters in history, especially in Spain - Francisco de Goya.

 As 2021 marks the 275th anniversary of the birth of de Goya, he and some of his works are remembered on collector quality gold and silver coins in celebration of this anniversary.

The Header/Banner shows the Gold Coin- Obverse and Reverse- - against a background image of a left facing effigy of Goya (Obverse), with the image of the painting appearing on the Reverse

About Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (30.03.1746 – 16.04.1828):

He was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and engravings reflected contemporary historical upheavals and influenced important 19th- and 20th-century painters.

 Goya is often referred to as the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns.

Goya was born to a middle-class family in 1746, in Fuendetodos in Aragon. He studied painting from age 14 under José Luzán y Martinez and moved to Madrid to study with Anton Raphael Mengs. 

 Goya became a court painter to the Spanish Crown in 1786 and this early portion of his career is marked by portraits of the Spanish aristocracy and royalty, and Rococo-style tapestry cartoons designed for the royal palace.

He was guarded, and although letters and writings survive, little is known about his thoughts. 

He suffered a severe and undiagnosed illness in 1793 which left him deaf, after which his work became progressively darker and pessimistic.

 His later easel and mural paintings, prints and drawings appear to reflect a bleak outlook on personal, social and political levels, and contrast with his social climbing.

 He was appointed Director of the Royal Academy in 1795, the year Manuel Godoy made an unfavorable treaty with France. 

In 1799, Goya became "Primer Pintor de Cámara" (Prime Court Painter), the highest rank for a Spanish court painter. 

In the late 1790s, commissioned by Godoy, he completed his "La maja desnuda", a remarkably daring nude for the time and clearly indebted to Diego Velázquez. 

In 1800–01 he painted Charles IV of Spain and His Family, also influenced by Velázquez.

In 1807, Napoleon led the French army into the Peninsular War against Spain. Goya remained in Madrid during the war, which seems to have affected him deeply. Although he did not speak his thoughts in public, they can be inferred from his "Disasters of War" series of prints (although published 35 years after his death) and his 1814 paintings "The Second of May 1808" and "The Third of May 1808".

 Other works from his mid-period include the "Caprichos" and "Los Disparates" etching series, and a wide variety of paintings concerned with insanity, mental asylums, witches, fantastical creatures and religious and political corruption, all of which suggest that he feared for both his country's fate and his own mental and physical health.

His late period culminates with the Black Paintings of 1819–1823, applied on oil on the plaster walls of his house the "Quinta del Sordo" (House of the Deaf Man) where, disillusioned by political and social developments in Spain, he lived in near isolation. 

Goya eventually left Spain in 1824 to retire to the French city of Bordeaux, accompanied by his much younger maid and companion, Leocadia Weiss, who may or may not have been his lover. There he completed his La Tauromaquia series and a number of other, major, canvases.

Following a stroke which left him paralyzed on his right side, and suffering failing eyesight and poor access to painting materials, he passed away on 16.04.1828 at the age of 82.

His Legacy:

Goya’s rebellious character and sometimes violent actions branded him as undoubtedly a revolutionary artist. 

During his lifetime, he produced an enormous and varied quantity of paintings, drawings, and engravings relating to nearly every aspect of contemporary life, which acutely reflected the period of political and social upheavals in which he lived. 

Francisco de Goya is also regarded as the Father of Modern Art and the Forerunner of Impressionism

His style of painting evolved and touched on various styles from Rococo, through Neoclassicism to Pre-Romanticism

He was an artist whose works included portraits, nudes, and a dark period with paintings that really stood out for their depiction of death and war

The Gold and Silver Coins:

€50 — Cinquentin (Silver Coin): 

The Obverse of the €50 — Cinquentin Silver Coin depicts the artist in a self-portrait which was created in 1797–1799. 

The etching was produced as part of the Caprichos series and illustrates Goya wearing the latest French fashions. The denomination "50 EURO" is placed to the left of the portrait with the Real Casa’s mintmark - a "crowned M" placed to the right. 

The commemorative inscription "275 ANIVERSARIO FRANCISCO DE GOYA" is seen under the artist’s likeness.

On the Reverse of the €50 — Cinquentin Silver Coin is depicted Goya’s work titled - "The Grape Harvest or Autumn" (1786), which highlights the work from within a recessed outline of the self-portrait shown on the obverse. 

Dressed in a yellow suit symbolising autumn, a young man sitting on a stone offers a cluster of black grapes to a lady. A boy is eager to reach the offered fruit, which is reserved for the adults. A woman stands next to them, holding a grape basket on her head, much like the classical allegory of the goddess Ceres with fruit on her head. 

To the left of the painting is the text "ESPAÑA", and to the right is the year of issue "2021". 

The additional inscription of "LA VENDIMIA" is placed under the work. This is one of the most beautiful and best-known compositions from all of Goya´s cartoon series and is housed in the Prado Museum, Madrid.

i) The specifications of the €50 — Cinquentin Silver Coin are:

Country of issue: Spain; Year: 2021; Coin Theme: 250th Anniversary of Francisco Goya; Denomination/Face Value: €50 — Cinquentin; Metal Composition: .925 Fineness Silver (Ag); Weight: 168.70 grams; Diameter/Size: 73.00 mm; Coin Quality: Proof (P) with applied colour; Mint: Fabrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre FNMT — Real Casa de la Moneda (The Spanish Mint); Mintage: 2,500 pieces.

€400 — eight Escudos (Gold Coin):

 The Obverse of the €400 — eight Escudos Gold Coin depicts the artist in a self-portrait, which was created circa 1797–1799. 

The etching was produced as part of the Caprichos series, a collection of works for the Spanish newspaper Diario de Madrid, in which the artist shared satirical commentary of the universal follies and foolishness in the Spanish society in which he lived and especially aimed at the nobility and the clergy. His own self-portrait was the 43rd out of a total of 80 aquatints. 

Goya shows himself wearing the latest French fashion that includes a top hat and is seen facing left. 

The denomination "400 EURO" is placed to the left of the portrait with the Real Casa’s mintmark - a "crowned M" placed to the right with the text "ESPANA 2021" shown above.

 The commemorative inscription "275 ANIVERSARIO FRANCISCO DE GOYA" is seen under the artist’s likeness.

 The Reverse of the €400 — eight Escudos Gold Coin intricately details Goya’s work titled - "The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters" (1796-1797). 

The original work was created as an aquatint — a process of an intaglio printmaking technique, a variant of etching, that produces areas of tone rather than lines. The commemorative inscription seen under the primary design reads "EL SUEÑO DE LA RAZON PRODUCE MONSTRUOS". 

i) The specifications of the €400 — eight Escudos Gold Coin are:

Country of issue: Spain; Year: 2021; Coin Theme: 250th Anniversary of Francisco Goya; Denomination/Face Value: €400 — eight Escudos; Metal Composition: .999 Fineness Gold (Au); Weight: 27.00 grams; Diameter/Size: 38.00 mm; Coin Quality: Proof (P) ; Mint: Fabrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre FNMT — Real Casa de la Moneda (The Spanish Mint); Mintage: 2,000 pieces. 

Remarks:

- Each Silver and Gold Proof Coin is encapsulated and presented in a custom Real Casa de la Moneda case accompanied by a numbered Certificate Of Authenticity (COA)










Interesting links to posts on Portugal and Spanish Coins and postage stamps on this blog:

For interesting posts on Coins and stamps of Spain, please visit the following links:






9) "Nacional Museo del Prado", Spain: Celebrating the Bicentenary milestone (1819-2019): Commemorative Silver Coins of 30 Euros issued by Fabrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre - Casa Real de la Moneda on 20.11.2019: Coins minted by the Madrid Mint






















For interesting posts on Coins and stamps of Portugal, please visit the following links:





6) "The Joker", Portugal: Portugal Post has issued a set of four stamps featuring "The Joker"character of DC Comics, who is an archenemy of the "Batman": Date of Stamp issue: 31.03.2020

7) Portuguese Numismatics (1st Group): A set of four Stamps in the values of N20g, A20g, E20g and 120g issued by CTT Correios (Portuguese Post) in partnership with INCM ("Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda (the "Portuguese Mint & Official Printing Office") depicting coins from various periods of history: Date od Stamp set issue: 22.04.2020












The "Age of Discovery" Escudo Banknote Series:



For posts on coins issued under the Eurostar Coin Programme, please visit the following links:

6) Leonardo da Vinci, France: The latest issue from the Monnaie de Paris, France highlights him on the latest Europa Silver Star Coin Programme issued by the Paris Mint: Coin issue date: 03/2019


7) i) "Europa Coin Programme" or the "European Star Programme" or the "Eurostar Programme" ii) Central Bank of Malta issues 50 Euro (Gold) and 10 Euro (Silver) Proof Coins featuring "Architecture and artwork of the Gothic Era" in 05/2020 (which is a part of the wider programme focussing on the Ages of Europe: Date of Coins issue: 08.05.2020









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