425 ANNIV VELÁZQUEZ (2024) 1 OZ VENUSID92947004
On the occasion of the commemoration of the 425th anniversary of Diego Velázquez, the Royal Mint of Spain is dedicating a collection of commemorative coins to the Spanish painter, a Spanish Baroque painter considered one of the greatest exponents of Spanish painting and a master of universal painting.
On the obverse is a reproduction of the work entitled ‘The Toilet of Venus’, painted by Diego Velázquez between 1647 and 1651 and housed in The National Gallery, London.
On the reverse is a reproduction of the monument to Diego Velázquez by the Sevillian sculptor Antonio Susillo, which is located in the Plaza del Duque de la Victoria in Seville.
| Shape | Square |
| Series | 425 Anniversary of Velázquez |
| Year | 2024 |
| Colour | Yes |
| Quality | Proof |
| Face Value (Euro) | 10 |
| Size (mm) | 36x36 |
| Alloy (‰) | 999 |
| Metal | Silver |
| Weight (g) | 31.41 |
| Maximum Mintage (units) | 5,000 |
"THE TOILET OF VENUS" 425 ANNIVERSARY VELÁZQUEZ (2024) OUNCE
Velázquez, Diego Rodríguez de Silva and
Seville, 1599 - Madrid, 1660
He adopted his mother's surname, as was common in Andalusia, signing his name ‘Diego Velázquez’ or ‘Diego de Silva Velázquez’. He studied and practised the art of painting in his native city until he was twenty-four, when he moved with his family to Madrid and entered the service of the king from then until his death in 1660. Much of his work was destined for the royal collections and then passed to the Prado, where it is preserved. Most of the pictures he painted in Seville, however, went to foreign collections, especially from the 19th century onwards.
Considered the most important painter of the Spanish Baroque period, Diego Velázquez became a court painter at the court of Philip IV, which enabled him to study the great masters of national and international art. His enormous artistic output, including such emblematic works as ‘Las Meninas’, has left an indelible mark on the universal history of painting.
The Toilet of Venus.
Venus, the goddess of love, reclines languidly on her bed, the curve of her body echoed in the sweep of sumptuous satin fabric. The pearly tones of her smooth skin contrast with the rich colours and lively brushstrokes of the curtain and sheets.
The face of Venus is reflected in the mirror held up by her son, Cupid, but her reflection is blurred – we can’t see who she really is. Perhaps Velázquez wanted to make sure that Venus – the personification of female beauty – was not an identifiable person; we have to ‘complete’ her features with our imagination. Cupid’s face and far leg are very loosely painted and appear almost unfinished: Velázquez deliberately used a sketchy style in order to focus our attention on Venus.
This is Velázquez’s only surviving female nude and one of his most celebrated works. Its nickname, ‘The Rokeby Venus’, originates from Rokeby Park, a country house in County Durham, where the painting hung for much of the nineteenth century.