2021 San Marino Proof Set

Features

Issuer	San Marino
Mint	Rome
Year	2021
Issued quantity	2400
Number	N# S95

Description

The Philatelic and Numismatic Office has prepared a special set containing the eight denominations of the divisional coins and the two 2-euro commemorative coins of the year 2021, all in proof quality.

The first commemorative coin is dedicated to Caravaggio. Michelangelo Merisi was born in 1571 in Caravaggio, a village near Milan. A tormented and restless artist, he was a genius who deeply revolutionized the history of art by introducing the study of realism and the dramatic use of light as a metaphor for divine grace.
The obverse of the 2-euro coin marking the 450th anniversary of his birth features The Penitent Magdalene, taken from the homonymous painting preserved at the prestigious Doria Pamphilj Gallery in Rome.
Having renounced her former worldly life, the young woman opens herself to divine grace, her hands gently resting on her lap, with jewels left on the ground beside a jar of ointment. A single beam of light cutting across the canvas foreshadows the dramatic chiaroscuro effects of his mature phase, which would influence all subsequent European painting.

The second commemorative coin honors Albrecht Dürer. Born in Nuremberg in 1471, Dürer was an engraver, draftsman, painter, and theorist. He became the foremost representative of Northern European Renaissance art and culture through his mastery of graphic expression, which included composition, studies from life, landscapes, and portraits.
The obverse of the 2-euro coin celebrating the 550th anniversary of his birth depicts the Madonna with Child, a detail from the renowned 1526 painting held at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
Emerging from a dark background, the Virgin holds a pear in one hand and the Christ Child in the other. The work conveys a strong sense of familial intimacy, with remarkable attention to detail and realistic representation, both hallmarks of Dürer's art.

These two coins, commemorating cultural and historical milestones of international significance, complete the 2021 San Marino divisional proof set.