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Description
Marco Polo (1254–1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer, and writer. His travels are recorded in the Book of the Marvels of the World, also known as The Travels of Marco Polo (c. 1300), a book that described to Europeans the wealth and great size of China, its capital Peking, and other Asian cities and countries. Marco Polo was not the first European to reach China, but he was the first to leave a detailed chronicle of his experience.
He learned the mercantile trade from his father and his uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, who travelled through Asia and met Kublai Khan. In 1269, they returned to Venice to meet Marco for the first time. The three of them embarked on an epic journey to Asia, returning after 24 years to find Venice at war with Genoa; Marco was imprisoned and dictated his stories to a cellmate. He was released in 1299, became a wealthy merchant, married, and had three children. He died in 1324 and was buried in the church of San Lorenzo in Venice.
Artist: Silvia Petrassi
Obverse
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Portrait of Marco Polo, from a detail of a mosaic by Enrico Podio in Tursi Palace, Genoa. In the background, stylized elements of oriental architecture with floral decorations. Around, the inscription “REPUBBLICA ITALIANA”; on the left, the name of the designer “PETRASSI”. REPUBBLICA |
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Reverse
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Marco Polo’s family on its journey through the East to the court of Emperor Kublai Khan in composition with details of the miniatures drawn from the “Book of the Marvels of the World” by Marco Polo and Rustichello da Pisa, a work conserved at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris. Above, the inscription “MARCO POLO” and Chinese ideograms meaning MARCO POLO; in the centre, “R”, identifying the Mint of Rome; on the right, the value “10 EURO”; in exergue, the year of issue “2018”. MARCO POLO - 马可•波罗 |
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10 Euro
Explorers
Marco Polo
Subscribe series
KM# 421
Explorers
Marco Polo
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