500th anniversary of the death of Raphael

The design reproduces the profile of the Virgin Mary, which is part of the Madonna di Casa Santi fresco, the first masterpiece by a very young Raphael painted in the family home in Urbino, which now houses the prestigious Accademia Raffaello. The fresco depicts the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus on her lap and is imbued with the delicacy of the intimacy between mother and son, a recurring theme in Raphael’s artistic works. In the top right of the coin, there is the name of the issuing country ‘SAN MARINO’ and the years ‘1520’ and ‘2020’. At the bottom is the inscription ‘RAFFAELLO’, on the right the initials of the designer Annalisa Masini ‘AM’, and on the left the letter ‘R’, indicating the Mint of Rome. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.