Italy · 750th birthday of Dante Alighieri

Issue date26 Jun 2015

Total mintage3,515,000

EU maximum3,500,000

Editions2

Edge lettering2 ★ × 6, alternately upright/inverted

InscriptionRI / R / 1265 / 2015 / DANTE ALIGHIERI

DesignerSilvia Petrassi

mintInstituto Poligrafico e Zecca Dello Stato, Roma

Issue occasion

The coin commemorates the 750th birthday of Dante Alighieri (1265–2015). The design depicts Dante with an open book in front of Mount Purgatory (“Purgatorio”) from The Divine Comedy (Göttliche Komödie), based on a depiction by Domenico di Michelino in the Dom Santa Maria del Fiore in Florenz. It is complemented by the inscription “DANTE ALIGHIERI”, the monogram “RI”, the mintmark “R”, the initials of Silvia Petrassi, and the years “1265” and “2015”.

The design

The coin design depicts Dante holding an open book in his left hand, with Mount Purgatory (“Purgatorio”) from the Divine Comedy in the background, as depicted by the painter Domenico di Michelino (1417-1491) in the cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence; between them is the monogram of the Italian Republic “RI”; on the right, the mint mark of Rome “R” can be seen; at the bottom are the initials of Silvia Petrassi and the years “1265” and “2015” (Dante’s year of birth and the year of issue of the coin, respectively); the inscription “DANTE ALIGHIERI” runs semicircularly above the image.
The outer ring of the coin features the twelve stars of the European flag.

Background on the topic

Dante Alighieri was a Florentine poet, political officeholder and scholar. He took part in the conflicts between the political factions of his hometown and for a time belonged to its leading officeholders. After the takeover by the opposing Black Guelphs (Schwarzen Guelfen), he was convicted in absentia and banished from Florenz. Since he did not return, he spent the rest of his life at various courts in northern Italy. He died in Ravenna in 1321.

His best-known work was largely written during his exile. The Divine Comedy (Göttliche Komödie) depicts a journey through the three realms of the afterlife: Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. The Roman poet Vergil initially guides the narrator; later, Beatrice takes over this role. The work combines Christian theology and medieval cosmology with ancient literature, philosophy, and commentary on politics and contemporary history. Dante has historical figures, mythological characters and his own contemporaries appear in the poem and places them within the order of the afterlife according to their conduct on earth.

Dante did not write the poem in Latin, the language of many scholarly texts at the time, but in an Italian vernacular based primarily on Tuscan. The wide dissemination and subsequent canonization of his works helped this form of speech become the basis of the Italian standard language. Among other works, he also wrote Vita nuova, a combination of poems and prose commentaries about Beatrice, as well as treatises on language and political order.

In Italy’s cultural memory, Dante therefore represents not only a single literary work but also the common language of a country that was politically unified only centuries later. His portrait and scenes from his poetry have long been present in art, monuments and state symbolism. The anniversary thus gave Italy an occasion to commemorate an author whose work is closely connected with the history of its national literature and language.