Jan van Eyck (before c. 1390 – 1441) was a Flemish painter active in Bruges. He is one of the early innovators of what became known as Early Netherlandish painting, and one of the most significant representatives of Early Northern Renaissance art. The surviving records of his early life indicate that he was born around 1380–1390, most likely in Maaseik (then Maaseyck, hence his name), in present day Belgium.
ANCIENT OLYMPIA 10 EURO SILVER COIN.
The obverse represents the archaeological site of Olympia with its columns made from the remains of ancient monuments. The birthplace of the Olympic Games is translated by the flame that gushes out of the basin. An Olympian goddess tries to light her torch with this Olympic flame. The geometric shapes at the back of the coin evoke the famous Greek amphitheatres and therefore the first Olympic stadiums that hosted the Games in antiquity.
VATICAN 2 EURO COMMEMORATIVE COIN 2020: Centenary of the birth of Saint John Paul II. Karol Wojtyla was born on 18 May 1920 in Wadowice, Poland. Elected pope on 16 October 1978, he governed the Catholic Church until his death on 2 April 2005. John Paul II was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on 1 May 2011 and canonized by Pope Francis on 27 April 2014. The coin, designed by Gabriella Titotto, features a strong portrait of Saint John Paul II, with the Cathedral of Wadowice (the Minor Basilica of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary) where he was baptized and on the right the house where he was born.
The obverse of the coin shows a major part of the art work. The Van Gogh portrait is in close-up and appears on the right side of the coin. The below border of the painting features a view of the facade of Orsay Museum seen from the Seine, where the art work is kept. The title of the art work and the name of the artist are inscribed on the left part of the frame. The stamp « Chefs d’oeuvre des Musees » has been added below the inscriptions on the left. The 2020 yeardate is visible below on the right of the artist’s portrait The reverse is common to the series, it shows a mix of some French museums views.
The first collectible medal “PRECURSOR” of the Numismatics Program regarding the 200th anniversary of Greek Revolution of 1821. Folk painter’s Theophilos Hatzimihail painting “Greece Reborn” is depicted on the “PRECURSOR”. The painting by Theophilos is painted on cardboard and dates from 1911. It is based on an earlier lithograph (c.1840) and depicts Greece as “ancient” in a long red cloak standing among ancient ruins but also as “Christian” since everything is taking place under the “all-seeing eye” of God while the angels are praising. Two emblematic figures of the pre-Revolution Hellenism are supporting Greece: Adamantios Korais and Rigas Velestinlis. The medal is composed of 3 parts, which are connected with a blue polymeric ring.
2,500 YEARS SINCE THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE. Although ending in defeat for the Greeks, the Battle of Thermopylae remains a timeless symbol of heroic resistance. The obverse of the coin features an ancient Greek hoplite, armed with helmet and shield, in a state of “heroic nudity”, against a dense background of spears, the main weapon of the hoplite phalanx. Inscribed on the shield
is the wording “THERMOPYLAE – 480 BC” and “LEONIDAS”, the name of the Spartan king who led the Greek troops in the Battle of Thermopylae. The reverse features Greek hoplites marching in against Persian warriors . The images of the Greeks have been taken from ancient Greek pottery and those of the Persians reproduce bas-reliefs from the palace of Darius in Persepolis. Visible at centre is the national coat of arms, surrounded by the wording “HELLENIC REPUBLIC” and “2,500 YEARS SINCE THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE”
Belgium, 2 euro commemorative coin 2020, International Year of Plant Health (IYPH). Plant health is increasingly under threat. Climate change and human activities have altered ecosystems, reducing biodiversity and creating new niches where pests can thrive. At the same time, international travel and trade, which have tripled in volume in the last decade, can quickly spread pests and diseases around the world, causing great damage to native plants and the environment. To draw attention to these problem the UN declared 2020 to be the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH). Max. mintage: 150,000
MYRTIS, 5 EURO SILVER COLLECTOR COIN 2020.
Myrtis is the name given by archaeologists to an 11-year-old girl from ancient Athens, whose remains were discovered in 1994–95 in a mass grave during work to build the metro station at Kerameikos, Greece.The name was chosen from common ancient Greek names. The analysis showed that Myrtis and two other bodies in the mass grave had died of typhoid fever during the Plague of Athens in 430 B.C.
This coin gives us an idea of what an Athenian girl in Pericles’s time might have looked like. The obverse features a bust of Myrtis, a name conventionally given to an eleven-year-old girl who died in the Plague of Athens (430-426 BC) during the Peloponnesian War. Her perfectly preserved skull allowed scientists to recreate her facial features using the “Manchester method”. The rim is adorned with sprays of myrtle, as the girl’s name alludes to the myrtle tree. On the reverse is depicted the DNA sequence of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, a deadly pathogen causing typhoid fever that claimed thousands of lives during the Plague of Athens. At centre is the national coat of arms surrounded by the wording “HELLENIC REPUBLIC”. Myrtis was named a friend of the Millennium Development Goals by the United Nations Regional Information Centre and, as part of the UN campaign “We Can End Poverty”, sent her message to the world about disease prevention.
