Deutsch
English
Français
Español
Italiano
Nederlands
Português
Slovenčina
Hrvatski
Slovenščina
Lietuvių
Eesti
Български
CC 386 2020
Coincard
BU Niederländisch
Coincard – Dutch version
Belgium · Jan van Eyck
Mintage75,000
Issue price€10.00
Issue date15 Oct 2020
PackagingCoincard
Edge lettering2 ★ ★ × 6, alternating upright/inverted
Market price€15.46
Mintage information from source: Gesamt 150.000 · 1:1 auf NL/FR geteilt
Issue occasion
The commemorative coin is dedicated to the famous Flemish artist Jan van Eyck. The design shows his portrait, his signature and the name “J. van Eyck”, as well as a painter’s palette with the initials of the coin designer Luc Luycx and two paintbrushes. At the bottom edge are a caduceus and the coat of arms of the municipality of Herzele as the mint mark and mint master’s mark.
The design
The inner part of the coin shows the portrait of the famous Flemish artist Jan van Eyck together with his signature and a painter’s palette, which also contains the initials LL and refers to the coin designer Luc Luycx and two paintbrushes. Above this, the name J. van Eyck can be seen.
As the Royal Dutch Mint will strike the coins, the mint mark of Utrecht, a caduceus, and the Belgian mint master’s mark, the coat of arms of the municipality of Herzele, are shown at the bottom. The country code BE and the year 2020 are located along the right edge.
The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer ring of the coin.
As the Royal Dutch Mint will strike the coins, the mint mark of Utrecht, a caduceus, and the Belgian mint master’s mark, the coat of arms of the municipality of Herzele, are shown at the bottom. The country code BE and the year 2020 are located along the right edge.
The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer ring of the coin.
Background on the topic
Jan van Eyck, born around 1390 and deceased in Brügge in 1441, is regarded as belonging to the first generation of Early Netherlandish painting. He worked in the Burgundian Netherlands, a politically and economically closely interconnected region that encompassed parts of present-day Belgium, the Netherlands and France. From 1425 onward, he served as court painter to Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy. In addition to artistic work, he also undertook diplomatic journeys for the duke.
Van Eyck is known for a painting technique in which transparent, superimposed layers of oil paint enabled the precise depiction of light, fabrics, jewellery and skin. Contrary to a long-standing misconception, he did not invent oil painting. However, he developed and refined its use. His work is also characterised by detailed interiors and landscapes, as well as objects that can convey religious or social meanings.
One of his best-known works is the Ghent Altarpiece (Genter Altar) in St Bavo's Cathedral (St.-Bavo-Kathedrale). Completed in 1432, the work consists of several panels and is attributed to Jan van Eyck and his elder brother Hubert. At the centre of the opened feast-day view is The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (“Anbetung des mystischen Lammes”). Over the centuries, the panels were separated several times, looted, returned and restored. Another frequently discussed work is the so-called Arnolfini Portrait of 1434, which depicts a couple in a bourgeois interior.
The issue was released as part of the Flemish themed year “Van Eyck 2020”. In Gent, exhibitions, restoration projects and events centred on the painter and the Ghent Altarpiece (Genter Altar) were planned. One focus was the presentation of restored altarpiece panels; at the same time, Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent presented an extensive Van Eyck exhibition. Part of the programme was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The coin thus took up an already planned cultural year and placed Van Eyck within the cultural heritage of Belgium and, in particular, Flanders.
Van Eyck is known for a painting technique in which transparent, superimposed layers of oil paint enabled the precise depiction of light, fabrics, jewellery and skin. Contrary to a long-standing misconception, he did not invent oil painting. However, he developed and refined its use. His work is also characterised by detailed interiors and landscapes, as well as objects that can convey religious or social meanings.
One of his best-known works is the Ghent Altarpiece (Genter Altar) in St Bavo's Cathedral (St.-Bavo-Kathedrale). Completed in 1432, the work consists of several panels and is attributed to Jan van Eyck and his elder brother Hubert. At the centre of the opened feast-day view is The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (“Anbetung des mystischen Lammes”). Over the centuries, the panels were separated several times, looted, returned and restored. Another frequently discussed work is the so-called Arnolfini Portrait of 1434, which depicts a couple in a bourgeois interior.
The issue was released as part of the Flemish themed year “Van Eyck 2020”. In Gent, exhibitions, restoration projects and events centred on the painter and the Ghent Altarpiece (Genter Altar) were planned. One focus was the presentation of restored altarpiece panels; at the same time, Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent presented an extensive Van Eyck exhibition. Part of the programme was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The coin thus took up an already planned cultural year and placed Van Eyck within the cultural heritage of Belgium and, in particular, Flanders.