The beautiful EBE of Antonio Canova dances on the new 2 EURO of SAN MARINO
Another bimetallic art from the Titan: Antonio Vecchio modeled it in homage to the bicentenary of Canova’s death
by Chiara Pasqui | Canova and San Marino, a not so unlikely combination since, just to give an example, in the public collections of the Titan museums there has been a magnificent one for over two centuries Napoleon Bonaparte portrayed under the mythological guise of Mars peacemaker. The engraving, preserved at the State Museum, bears an autograph dedication by the Venetian artist addressed to the Republic of San Marino.
Antonio Canova died two hundred years ago and, to the great Venetian sculptor, absolute master of Neoclassicism, the Numismatic Philatelic Department of Poste San Marino SPA dedication – with issue date scheduled for next 4 October – a 2 euro commemorative coin by the artist Antonio Vecchio.
The 2 euro commemorative coin has a reverse the relief image of the sculpture of the goddess Hebe, a work that Canova made between 1796 and 1817 in four copies today preserved respectively in Berlin, St. Petersburg, Chatsworth and Forlì. This is the latter choice for the San Marino currency.
Hebe’s sculptures were initially very critical for the stylistic choices of Canova who, with a revolutionary vision of “material contamination”, combined bronze details to the note of the marble and, especially in the first two works, covered the candid white marble with a pink patina.
However, these sculpture of balance and absolute elegance they are today considered among the highest works of neoclassicism. On the sides of the image of the goddess Hebe, on the coin, the dates 1822 and 2022 are depicted to commemorate the celebration and around the legends CANOVA and SAN MARINO.
Elegant and essential, the 2 euro canoviana from San Marino confirms the high artistic level of the Titan bimetallics issued in recent years, starting with the one coined in spring to celebrate Piero della Francesca (Click here to find out more).
The 2 euros for the master of Possagno, minted on behalf of San Marino by IPZS at the mint of Rome, will be available in brilliant uncirculated finish, in 55,000 copies packed in a nice themed blister pack, at the base price of 17.50 euros eachto which to add the VAT in force for Italian customers.
The 2 euro coin it is not the first “canoviana” in San Marino: in 2016, in fact, a magnificent one was issued 10 euro proof in silver (925 thousandths, 34 millimeters in diameter for 22 grams of weight) on which the artist Claudia Momoni depicted the Three Gracesanother masterpiece of the master and work of which occurred the bicentenary of the completion of the first verson, commissioned by Josephine of Beauharnais and today preserved in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. Another example of how great art can become the ideal subject for collectible numismatic issues.