The year 2023 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Max Švabinský. Therefore, the Czech Mint created a half-ounce gold medal which is part of a free cycle of the most beautiful unrealised designs entered into the Czech National Bank's competitions.

The arrival of Max Švabinský in 1873 must have caused a stir in the small town. He was born to a 16-year-old unmarried mother. His father - a student who lived in the Švabinsky lodgings - was not familiar with his illegitimate son, and so the whole family raised him with love. From a young age, the boy helped with the running of the household. He had exceptional artistic talent and at the age of ten he sold his first works, which he exhibited in the window of the pharmacy in Kroměříž. He was called “prodigy“. He painted pictures of the femmes fatales who surrounded him and remained faithful to this theme in adulthood - only his mother and grandmother were replaced by romantic muses and erotic motifs were added to the portraits. Moreover, the artist's relations with women were stormy. For example, his love for his first wife  after he fell in love with his sister-in-law... Švabinský, however, did not admire only female charm, but all the beauties of the world and became famous for his paintings of landscapes and nature. He became the author of many postage stamps, the most beautiful Czechoslovak banknotes and the stained glass windows in St. Vitus Cathedral. His work culminated in his likenesses, which form a unique gallery of prominent Czech personalities of Švabinský' time.

The design by the medal maker Vojtěch Dostál, DiS., which won second place in the art competition, was used as a template for the commemorative medal. The expert committee of the Czech National Bank particularly appreciated the relief design of the self-portrait of Max Švabinský on the obverse side of the medal. In addition to the painter's name, the obverse composition is supplemented with the annual years 1873-2023.

The edition has only 99 copies. In addition, each medal is hand-numbered on the edge.