Mint21 Week: The Three Graces are reinvented with a contemporary twist for this exquisite silver coin

Continuing our week long look at Mint 21’s new coins for early 2020 brings us from the murky bottom of the sea to a representation of beauty and elegance. While Powercoin have taken Antonio Canova’s beautiful ‘The Three Graces’ sculpture and reproduced it in miniature on an impressive CIT-produced issue, Mint 21 have chosen to reimagine it with a modern twist, and they’ve done so in fine style.

Struck in two ounces of fine silver, this is a hugely elegant coin and a nice break from the need to incorporate gimmickry to enhance appeal. Apart from an antique finish and some impressive levels of relief, it’s the design that will carry this on. The three nudes in the centre are certainly graceful and, while we’d like to have seen them a little closer together like Canova’s statue, there’s no denying what a superb piece of sculpting it is. The level of detail in the floral arrangements to the left and right of the women is quite sublime, flowing perfectly to form a natural frame.

The obverse has that classic Greco-Roman border patter, but the main attraction here are some roses in the centre. Again, the strike is gorgeous, managing to avoid that simplistic ‘cartoonish’ look that often results with this subject. The perspective, depth and detail is perfect. Indeed, the whole coin has a classic style that will likely have added appeal to those turning away from the increased use of colour and inserts becoming more prevalent today.

Like all of Mint 21’s issues, this one is presented in a wooden box with a Certificate of Authenticity. Just 500 will be minted. We’re certainly impressed that they haven’t shied away from the nudity with an ill-defined design – instead, fully embracing the concepts encompassed by The Three Graces in their original Ancient Greek form. Available to pre-order now, it should ship around the end of April and we’re seeing pricing around the €200 mark.

THE THREE GRACES by Antonio Canova

Originally commissioned by Joséphine de Beauharnais, the famous French dictator, Napoleon’s first wife, The Three Graces is a 1.82m tall sculpture in white marble. Carved in Rome by the Italian sculptor Antonio Canova, it was completed in 1814 and now resides in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.

The statue, in the Neoclassical style, depicts the three charities, Euphrosyne, Aglaea and Thalia, all daughters of Zeus. They were said to represent mirth (Euphrosyne), elegance (Aglaea), and youth/beauty (Thalia). They were said to have delighted the guests of the gods by presiding over events, like banquets, for example.

SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION $5 NZD (Niue)
COMPOSITION 0.999 silver
WEIGHT 62.2 grams
DIMENSIONS 50.0 mm
FINISH Antique
MODIFICATIONS High-relief
MINTAGE 500
BOX / C.O.A. Yes / Yes