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CC 566 2025
Coin set
Proof
Coin set proof
San Marino · 550th anniversary of the birth of Michelangelo
Mintage3,000
Issue date3 Jul 2025
PackagingCoin set
Edge lettering2 ★ × 6, alternately upright/inverted
Price of the set (2 coins)€187.95
Issue occasion
The commemorative coin honours the 550th birthday of Michelangelo Buonarroti. The design shows Cleopatra as a detail from a drawing by Michelangelo, preserved at the Casa Buonarroti in Florence. The design is complemented by the inscriptions “MICHELANGELO” and “SAN MARINO” and the years “1475” and “2025”.
The design
The coin’s design shows Cleopatra in the center, as an excerpt from the drawing by Michelangelo Buonarroti, which is kept at Casa Buonarroti (Florenz). On the left are the semicircular inscription “MICHELANGELO”, the letter “R” as the mint mark of Rom, and the year “1475”; on the right, the semicircular designation of the issuing state “SAN MARINO” and the year “2025”. At the bottom are the initials “SP” of the coin designer Silvia Petrassi.
The outer ring of the coin features the twelve stars of the European flag.
The outer ring of the coin features the twelve stars of the European flag.
Background on the topic
Michelangelo Buonarroti was a sculptor, painter, architect and poet of the Italian Renaissance. He came from Caprese in Tuscany and was trained in Florence, where he was shaped by the artistic and humanist environment of the Medici. He later worked mainly in Florence and Rome for popes and other patrons. His best-known works include the marble sculptures *Pietà* and *David*, the ceiling paintings and *The Last Judgment* in the Sistine Chapel (Sixtinische Kapelle), as well as his involvement in the construction of St Peter’s Basilica (Petersdom). His work combined precise anatomical observation with an often highly dynamic, tension-filled depiction of the human body.
The Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII belonged to the range of subjects from ancient history in Renaissance art. She was the last ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt and was politically associated successively with Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius. After the defeat by Octavian, she took her own life. In art and literature, her death was traditionally associated with the bite of a venomous snake. Michelangelo’s drawing focuses on her head and shows her with an elaborate hairstyle and the snake as an indication of her end. It was created as an independent, carefully executed sheet and is associated with Tommaso de’ Cavalieri, a Roman nobleman to whom Michelangelo gave several drawings and dedicated poems.
Casa Buonarroti traces its origins to houses that belonged to Michelangelo’s family. Michelangelo der Jüngere, a grandnephew of the artist, had them transformed into a memorial site for the family in the 17th century. Today, in addition to drawings and early works, the museum preserves letters, designs and other testimonies from the artist’s circle.
No direct biographical connection between Michelangelo and San Marino is apparent. The choice is instead explained by his position within the shared Italian cultural heritage. San Marino regularly features figures and works from the history of Italian art and culture on its commemorative coins; the milestone anniversary provided a clear calendar occasion for this.
The Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII belonged to the range of subjects from ancient history in Renaissance art. She was the last ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt and was politically associated successively with Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius. After the defeat by Octavian, she took her own life. In art and literature, her death was traditionally associated with the bite of a venomous snake. Michelangelo’s drawing focuses on her head and shows her with an elaborate hairstyle and the snake as an indication of her end. It was created as an independent, carefully executed sheet and is associated with Tommaso de’ Cavalieri, a Roman nobleman to whom Michelangelo gave several drawings and dedicated poems.
Casa Buonarroti traces its origins to houses that belonged to Michelangelo’s family. Michelangelo der Jüngere, a grandnephew of the artist, had them transformed into a memorial site for the family in the 17th century. Today, in addition to drawings and early works, the museum preserves letters, designs and other testimonies from the artist’s circle.
No direct biographical connection between Michelangelo and San Marino is apparent. The choice is instead explained by his position within the shared Italian cultural heritage. San Marino regularly features figures and works from the history of Italian art and culture on its commemorative coins; the milestone anniversary provided a clear calendar occasion for this.
Interesting Facts
This coin set contains all eight circulation coins from 1 cent to 2 euros, as well as this year's two 2-euro commemorative coins, “Holy Year 2025 - Pilgrims of Hope” (CC557) and “550th anniversary of the birth of Michelangelo” (CC566); face value: 7,88 €.