25 euro – 450th Anniversary of the Birth of Caravaggio

The Vatican City State Mint has the honor of celebrating Caravaggio, 450 years after his birth, with an authentic novelty in numismatics: the issue of a silver coin with a unique rectangular shape, colorized with four colors, and having a face value of 25 euros. It marks an artistic and technical challenge of great importance, with results exceeding expectations. Artist Orietta Rossi has created a small masterpiece, reproducing one of Caravaggio’s most expressive paintings on the coin: the Deposition, painted by the artist between 1602 and 1604 for the church of Santa Maria in Vallicella, now on display in one of the rooms of the Pinacoteca of the Vatican Museums. The contrast between light and shadow becomes profound, dramatically interpreting the death of Christ, whose lifeless body nevertheless shines the light of the coming resurrection.