Head of Peasant Woman by Vincent Van Gogh 1 oz Silver Coin

1 oz 999 Fine Silver Coin – Republique du Tchad 2023 – 5000 Francs CFA

One of the most renowned and respected artists in the world, Vincent van Gogh was a post-Impressionist painter who is heavily credited for laying the foundation and inspiration for much of 20th-century art. In his lifetime, he had completed more than 2,100 works, consisting of oil paintings, watercolor drawings, and sketches. Some of his most prominent works include “Starry Night”, “Sunflowers” and “The Potato Eaters”. Despite struggling with mental illness and health issues throughout his life, he pursued art and painting with passion and spirit, choosing to devote much of his money and time to art than anything else. Appreciation of his art grew exponentially after his suicide, and he gained posthumous fame and admiration to be considered one of the greatest artists in history.

The woman’s headdress contrasts with the dark background of this picture. It is one of a series of studies Van Gogh made in preparation for The Potato Eaters (Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam), completed in May 1885. Largely self-taught, Van Gogh was inspired by the realism of Millet and Courbet. These early paintings of Dutch peasants are dark and sombre in mood, reflecting their models’ harsh lives. He painted them while living with his parents in Nuenen, North Brabant. In July 2022, with the use of x-ray, a self-portrait of Van Gogh has recently been discovered on the reverse of this painting, covered by layers of glue and cardboard. The artist often re-used canvases and in this case, he worked on the reverse. It shows a bearded sitter in a brimmed hat with a neckerchief loosely tied at the throat.

On a canvas of 7 x 9 cm, a new minting technique called “Bi-Metal Max” was applied to give this piece its remarkable weight while keeping its proportions true to the actual paintings. This is made possible by combining 14 oz of copper as a base with a top painting layer of 1 oz of 999 pure Silver, resulting in a high relief. This is a limited edition of 688 pieces only. Each piece is packaged and delivered with a Certificate verifying its edition number and authenticity.