Silver Coin 5 Oz Inferno - Dante Alighieri - Divine Comedy 2020 Antique Standard

Dante Alighieri, La Divina Commedia - Inferno

This unique silver coin, issued by the Republic of Cameroon in 2020, is made of the purest 99.9% silver and weighs 5 Oz (155.5 g) with a patinated Antique Standard finish, and commemorates the 700th anniversary of the publication of Dante Alighieri's epic poem The Divine Comedy.
The coin artistically depicts the Inferno described in the first of the three parts of the allegorical epic, one of the immortal works of world literature.

The reverse of the coin depicts, in its centre, the head of Lucifer with three faces, watching over guilty souls condemned to a constant repetition of their sins, such as fornication, anger, violence, intemperance or strife. The artistic value of the high relief embossing is elaborated in remarkable detail, which is evident when looking at the multitude of entwined bodies. The motif is complemented by the stylized inscription "INFERNO" at the bottom edge of the coin.
Dante Alighieri wrote his vast epic poem The Divine Comedy from around 1306. He completed the work just a year before his death in 1321. It depicts the medieval perception of Christianity in a pictorial manner. He uses many symbols and references to contemporary society and history. The epic is divided into three parts, which link the story of Dante's journey from hell (Inferno) through purgatory (Purgatorio) to paradise (Paradiso). In hell and purgatory, his guide is the Roman poet Virgil. As a pagan, however, he cannot enter paradise with Dante, so the author's dream woman Beatrice replaces him in this task.
Dante describes hell as a deep cone-shaped abyss that extends to the centre of the earth. The abyss of hell was created by the fallen angel Lucifer when he was cast down to Earth after losing a heavenly battle. The Earth's flesh retreated before Lucifer and formed a high mountain on the other side of the Earth, which became Purgatory.
Hell is a place of endless darkness, divided into nine circles. The circles descend in terraces to the center at the bottom of the abyss where Lucifer resides. The deeper and closer to the center a human soul is imprisoned, the greater the sins it has committed and the worse the punishment awaiting it. A large number of contemporary and historical figures appear in the work, to whom the author attributes a place in hell according to their deeds. For example, the pagans Caesar, Homer and Plato, the lechers Cleopatra, Achilles and Tristan, and the sanctimonious Pope Nicholas III all find themselves in Dante's hell. The worst torments are experienced in the ninth and final circle by the traitors to the benefactors, Judas, Brutus and Cassia.

The obverse bears a line-split inscription commemorating the anniversary of '700 THE DIVINE COMEDY' and a profile portrait of Dante Alighieri. Its likeness is based on a page-turning painting by Sandro Botticelli of 1495, which depicts the Italian poet as a flamboyant intellectual with pronounced sharp features and an eagle nose.
Information is also given on the country of origin "REPUBLIQUE DU CAMEROUN", the denomination "5000 FRANCSA CFA" and the year of issue "2020".

The uniqueness of the coin is presented by the luxury packaging. It consists of a wooden case, a certificate, a summary of the poem in three languages and a book cover. All parts are marked with the description of the anniversary edition. The edition is limited to 333 copies for the whole world!

This product is part of the following product sets: