Belgium

2019

Commemorative coin

The 450th anniversary of the death of Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Official Journal of the European Union

The inner part of the piece depicts the portrait of the famous Belgian artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, together with a painting on an easel. Above this, you can find the name P. Bruegel, the years 1569, with a subtle obelisk referring to the year of death, and 2019, the year of issuance. As the Royal Dutch Mint will strike the coins, the mintmark of Utrecht, a mercury staff is located on the left together with the Belgian mint director mintmark, the coat of arms of the municipality Herzele, the country code BE. The initials LL referring to the designer of the coin, Mr Luc Luycx, are located on the right. Finally, around the edge of the inner part small dots form a circle. The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag.

Additional information

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (≈1525/1530-1569) was a Dutch Renaissance painter known for his depictions of peasant life in the 16th century Duchy of Brabant. One of his great models was Hieronymus Bosch. Bruegel's idiosyncratic style can only be inadequately described by the term Mannerism. He is depicted on the coin after an engraving made by Edme de Boulonois in 1582, in front of an easel with the 1563 version of his painting "Tower of Babel" in the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam. Theologians see the tower-building project as an attempt by mankind to equal God.

Edge lettering

Designer