PMC leverages its innovative ‘Bi-Metal Max’ minting technique to showcase Vincent van Gogh’s legendary ‘Starry Night’

It goes without saying that Vincent van Gogh is one of the worlds greatest painters. Widely admired for his eclectic style and use of colour, his body of works has few peers. Singapore-based Precious Metal Collectors have already dipped a toe into van Gogh’s art with an antique-finished version of his self-portrait, and a striking rectangular reproduction of his ‘Portrait of Dr. Gachet’.

Their return to Vincent’s work comes with perhaps his most iconic work, ‘Starry Night’, and is the first time PMC have offered a choice of styles in this series, with the previous two coming in an antiqued finish only. Here we have a stunning copy of the work in full colour, as well as an antiqued one. Which you prefer will be a matter of taste, but for me, it has to be the colour one.

However, the antique one does an extraordinary job of showing the flowing paint strokes that van Gogh used to create his work, so we can see the appeal. Both versions show aspects of the art in a different way, employing tons of high-relief. The obverse is the same on both variants, and cleverly uses another version of the same painting, also done by van Gogh himself, this time using a reed pen.

The big selling point for this release is that is employs PMC’s superb ‘Bi-Metal Max’ format, in which that two ounces of fine silver is used to clad a copper core of 33.5oz. This results in a hugh 146 x 110 mm high-relief coin, and one that has a very affordable price compared to a kilo of silver (well under €400), while looking identical. We’re big admirers of PMC’s range here and this release does nothing but enhance that feeling. Beautifully packaged, the fine art fan will love this.

VINCENT

One of the most renowned and respected artists in the world, Vincent van Gogh was a post-Impressionist painter who is heavily credited for laying the foundation and inspiration for much of 20th-century art. In his lifetime, he had completed more than 2,100 works, consisting of oil paintings, watercolor drawings, and sketches. Some of his most prominent works include “Starry Night”, “Sunflowers” and “The Potato Eaters”. Despite struggling with mental illness and health issues throughout his life, he pursued art and painting with passion and spirit, choosing to devote much of his money and time to art than anything else. Appreciation of his art grew exponentially after his suicide, and he gained posthumous fame and admiration to be considered one of the greatest artists in history.

If any year could be described as a traumatic one for Dutch post impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh, it would be 1889. On 23rd December 1888 he had a breakdown in which he undertook the famous self-mutilation of his left ear. Realising the danger, on 08 May 1889 he admitted himself to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole lunatic asylum.

Painted in early June 1889, Starry Night is his interpretation of the view from his east facing window of his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. It is depicted just before sunrise, and he has added what he considered to be an idealised village in the foreground.

The painting is a 737 x 921 mm oil on canvas and part of a prolific output from the period, which also included such highly regarded works as the Irises, and the blue self portrait. The Starry Sky work currently resides in New York at the Museum of Modern Art, where it has done so since 1941. It is considered not only one of Van Gogh’s best works, but one of the finest in history.

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SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION 10,000 Francs CFA (Chad)
COMPOSITION 0.999 silver over 0.999 copper
WEIGHT 62.2 grams (over 33.5oz Cu)
DIMENSIONS 145.0 x 110.0 mm
FINISH Antique (Colour optional)
MODIFICATIONS High-relief, Blue enamel
MINTAGE 500 pieces
BOX / C.O.A. Yes / Yes