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Palau Eternal Sculptures I
2021 – Ecstasy of Saint Teresa
This special coin has an all new design on the obverse – Bernini’s ‘Ecstacy of Saint Teresa’ and there are a few changes from the coins that have gone before. Most notable is the bumping up in the amount of fine silver from two ounces to five. This has allowed the diameter to increase from near 39 mm to 65 mm. The obverse looks ostensibly the same as the earlier coins, but also includes some gold colour. Not only is this an end of series special, the subject is part of a wider setting, which the colour helps reproduce. Each of the earlier coins showcased a sculpture that is freestanding in isolation.
The reverse differs considerably. In this case the sculpture does not pass through the coin, instead it’s replaced by a superb encapsulated view of the whole series of two-ounce coins in miniature form. You can see CIT’s enhanced smartminting at work here and it looks mightily impressive.
The obverse of the coin reproduces the incredible front view of the famous sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini – Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. The coin has an exceptional high relief and the use of a special paint to recreate the sculpture's natural marble look, emphasizes the extraordinary beauty of this piece of art in miniature. All around the obverse, a floral decorative pattern completes the coin. On the right side of the obverse, the wonderful logo of the series and the inscriptions: "ETERNAL SCULPTURES" - the name of the series and "ECSTASY OF SAINT TERESA" – the name of the coin. On the bottom of the obverse, the year of issue written in Roman numbers: "MMXXI" - 2021.
All around the impressive reverse, the perfect miniature of all five coins in the series with the Coat of Arms of Palau and the inscriptions: "REPUBLIC OF PALAU" – the issuing country and "20 DOLLARS" – the face value.
From Wikipedia:
Ecstasy of Saint Teresa
Artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Year 1647–1652
Catalogue 48
Type Sculpture
Medium Marble
Dimensions Life-size
Location Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome
41°54′17″N 12°29′39″E
Preceded by Raimondi Chapel
Followed by Truth Unveiled by Time (Bernini)
The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (also known as Saint Teresa in Ecstasy or the Transverberation of Saint Teresa; Italian: L'Estasi di Santa Teresa or Santa Teresa in estasi) is a sculptural group in white marble set in an elevated aedicule in the Cornaro Chapel of the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome. It was designed and completed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the leading sculptor of his day, who also designed the setting of the Chapel in marble, stucco and paint. It is generally considered to be one of the sculptural masterpieces of the High Roman Baroque. The sculpture depicts Teresa of Ávila, a Spanish Carmelite nun and saint, swooning in a state of religious ecstasy, while an angel holding a spear stands over her.
Palau is an archipelago of over 500 islands, part of the Micronesia region in the western Pacific Ocean. Koror Island is home to the former capital, also named Koror, and is the islands’ commercial center. The larger Babeldaob has the present capital, Ngerulmud, plus mountains and sandy beaches on its east coast. In its north, ancient basalt monoliths known as Badrulchau lie in grassy fields surrounded by palm trees. ― Google
Capital: Ngerulmud
Official languages: Palauan, English
Continent: Oceania
Government: Republic, Unitary state, Representative democracy, Presidential system, Non-partisan democracy
Currency: United States Dollar
Population: 18,024 (2021) World Bank
Number of islands: 340 britannica.com
Photos taken with Nikon D3300 DSL Camera with attached AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm F3.5-5.6G lens. Adobe Photoshop Elements used to fix any digital artifacts.