425TH ANNIV. VELÁZQUEZ (2024) GOLD COINID92947009
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.
The obverse depicts the work entitled ‘The Feast of Bacchus’, painted by Diego Velázquez between 1628 and 1629, which is kept in the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid.
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.
Series | 425 Anniversary of Velázquez |
Denomination | 8 Escudos |
Year | 2024 |
Colour | No |
Quality | Proof |
Diameter (mm) | 38 |
Face Value (Euro) | 400 |
Alloy (‰) | 999 |
Metal | Gold |
Weight (g) | 27 |
Maximum Mintage (units) | 1,000 |
"THE FEAST OF BACCHUS" VELÁZQUEZ (2024) 400 EURO COIN
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 Feast of Bacchus
Documentation of payment received by Velázquez in July 1629 for an image of Bacchus painted at the king`s behest informs us of the work`s approximate date and identifies its intended recipient. This was shortly before the artist`s first visit to Italy, barely five years after he began working for the king and at a time when he had just met Rubens. During this period, he was specialized in portraiture, although he had recently completed a renowned history painting -The Expulsion of the Moors- and had considerable experience with religious and costumbrista scenes. This was his first attempt at depicting a mythological fable, and he did so with a palette, descriptive methods and human types that recall his earlier years in Seville, although here he combined them with significant formal innovations. These circumstances make The Drunkards a turning point, launching a new subject that would be present for the rest of the artist`s career. At the same time, this work draws heavily on Velázquez`s previous works. The presence of Bacchus allowed the painter to depict one of his first male nudes, and that figure dominates the composition thanks to the luminosity of his body and clothing. A nude satyr to the left raises a fine crystal goblet, drawing us into the world of fabulous stories and creatures while, on the right, a beggar and four men with dark-brown capes, weathered faces and lively expressions constitute an everyday, realistic and believable counterpoint. A young figure kneels before them to be crowned by the god.