Silver Coin 5 Oz Purgatorio - Dante Alighieri - Divine Comedy 2021 Antique Standard

Dante Alighieri, La Divina Commedia - Purgatorio

The unique silver coin, issued by the Republic of Cameroon in 2021 in the purest 99.9% silver, weighing 5 Oz (155.5 g) with a patinated Antique Standard finish, is issued on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the publication of Dante Alighieri's epic poem The Divine Comedy.
The coin artistically depicts Purgatorio, described in the second of the three parts of the allegorical epic, one of the immortal works of world literature.

The reverse of the coin depicts the terraced mountain of Purgatory, which is entered through a gate. The artistically valuable coinage in high relief is elaborated in remarkable detail. The seven levels are clearly recognizable, with sinners divided according to their transgressions. The souls of the proud bend their backs under the weight of the heavy boulders. The envious are wrapped in poor garments. The souls of the wrathful are enveloped in thick smoke. They stumble lazily around the mountain. The covetous lie face down on the ground and say a prayer. The emaciated bodies belong to guilty gluttons. Souls burned with lust burn in the flames of purgatory. At the top of the mountain, purgatory passes under the crown of the pomegranate tree, which represents the Garden of Eden. The motif is complemented by the stylised inscription 'PURGATORIO' 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 Purgatory as a high mountain that was created after Lucifer was cast down to Earth. The earth gave way before him and the abyss of hell formed Purgatory Mountain on the other side.
The mountain rises in terraces through the pre-purgatory, Purgatory, to the earthly paradise at the top. Purgatory consists of seven terraces into which souls are brought according to one of the seven earthly sins. Pride, as the least serious offense, is served by the soul near the foot of the mountain. As the severity of the sin increases, so does the soul's placement on the higher terraces of Purgatory. Penitents purify their soul from pride, envy, anger, sloth, gluttony, and lust. Purgatory gives the soul the possibility of salvation and entry into Paradise.

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 festooned intellectual with strong, sharp features and an eagle nose.
Information is also given on the country of origin "REPUBLIQUE DU CAMEROUN", the face value "5000 FRANCSA CFA" and the year of issue "2021".

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: