Vatican · 500th anniversary of the death of Raphael

Issue date16 Oct 2020

Total mintage79,500

EU maximum101,000

Editions3

Edge lettering2 ★ × 6, alternately upright/inverted

InscriptionRAFFAELLO Sanzio / 1520 / 2020 / CITTA’DEL VATICANO / R / D. LONGO

DesignerDaniela Longo (Silvia Petrassi )

mintInstituto Poligrafico e Zecca Dello Stato, Roma

Issue occasion

The commemorative coin commemorates the 500th anniversary of the death of Raphael Sanzio. The design features a portrait of Raphael and two angels, as well as the years “1520” and “2020” and the semicircular inscription “RAFFAELLO Sanzio”.

The design

The design features a portrait of Raphael and two angels. On the right, in a semicircle, is the inscription “RAFFAELLO Sanzio”. Above the two angels, the years “1520” and “2020” can be seen, and below them the name of the issuing state “CITTA’DEL VATICANO”. At the bottom are the mint mark “R” and the artist’s name “D. LONGO”.
The outer ring of the coin features the twelve stars of the European flag.

Background on the topic

Among them is the School of Athens, a depiction of ancient philosophers in an idealised architectural setting. After the death of Donato Bramante, he also took over the direction of the work on the new construction of St Peter’s Basilica. The two angels depicted on the coin motif come from Raffael’s painting the Sistine Madonna.