Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 2 Euro 2014, KM# 259, Greece, 400th Anniversary of Death of El Greco
  • 2 Euro 2014, KM# 259, Greece, 400th Anniversary of Death of El Greco
Description

Doménikos Theotokópoulos (1541–1614), most widely known as El Greco, was a painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El Greco" ("The Greek") was a nickname, a reference to his Greek origin.

El Greco's dramatic and expressionistic style was met with puzzlement by his contemporaries but found appreciation in the 20th century. El Greco is regarded as a precursor of both Expressionism and Cubism, while his personality and works were a source of inspiration for poets and writers such as Rainer Maria Rilke and Nikos Kazantzakis. El Greco has been characterized by modern scholars as an artist so individual that he belongs to no conventional school. He is best known for tortuously elongated figures and often fantastic or phantasmagorical pigmentation, marrying Byzantine traditions with those of Western painting.

Obverse

Depicts a portrait of El Greco. The background features a typical figure from his work, illustrative of his technique. On the left: the year 2014 and the characteristic signature of the artist (‘Domenikos Theotokopoulos Epoiei’). On the right: the mint mark of the Greek State Mint. The entire design is encircled in an inscription reading in Greek ‘DOMENIKOS THEOTOKOPOULOS 1541-1614’ and the name of the issuing country ‘HELLENIC REPUBLIC’. The coin's outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag.

Engraver: Georgios Stamatopoulos

ΔΟΜΗΝΙΚΟΣ ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ 1541-1614
ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ
2014

Reverse

A geographical map of Western Europe spans the outer ring and inner core on the right side of the coin. The inscription 2 EURO is superimposed over the map of Europe, with the numeral “2” located in an open field representing the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

12 stars are located on the right side of the outer ring, with six stars atop the map of Europe and six stars below it; six vertical stripes cut across the inner core of the coin, visually connecting the upper and lower star segments.

Luc Luycx, a designer at the Royal Belgian Mint, designed the Euro’s common reverse; his initials, LL, are seen on the right side of the design, just under the “O” in “EURO.”

2 EURO
LL

Edge

"HELLENIC REPUBLIC" in Greek

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ ★

2 Euro

400th Anniversary of Death of El Greco

KM# 259 Schön# 209
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Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Circulating)
Material Bi-Metallic
Ring Cupronickel
Center Nickel Brass
Weight 8.5 g
Diameter 25.75 mm
Thickness 2.2 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Bank of Greece

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