Caravaggio - The Cardsharps 1 oz silver coin (2021 Mint of Poland)
By all accounts, an aggressive and generally unpleasant individual, the late 16th century painter, Caravaggio, transplanted his personality into his art with some aplomb. Having an equally violent visual style, his paintings have become widely regarded as some of the finest works in art history, easily standing alongside those of Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo, for example.
The Mint of Poland launched a new series of one-ounce gilded silver coins late in 2021, when it debuted two designs featuring the work of the master. These square coins simply reproduced one of Caravaggio’s classics, lightly cropped to fit within a frame formed in the coin’s metal. A simple concept, but very effective, made doubly so by the sheer intensity of Caravaggio’s work.
This third issue is more of the same, although a little more light-hearted than Medusa. Painted around 1594, The Cardsharps depicts cheating at a card game. Full of his trademark vibrant colour, the scene has huge character, and is a distinctive choice for a coin. Art on coins is a staple of the numismatic world, and these will no doubt have tons of appeal in that market. The mintage is limited to just 500 pieces, and it comes in a latex-skin ‘floating frame’. Available now.
LINKS: First two coins in the series
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