Silver coin 1 Oz Edgar Degas: Young woman with Ibis

Through its silver coins, the Mint XXI commemorates the most famous paintings in world art. Naturally, Edgar Degas’s Young Woman with an Ibis is a must-have among them.

Impressionism is an artistic movement that seeks to capture the moment – the state of mind and the unique atmosphere of a given instant. The French painter Edgar Degas is often counted amongst the Impressionists, though he did not consider himself one. Although influenced by Impressionism, he did indeed move away from classical subjects and began to focus on contemporary life; at the same time, however, he preferred the studio to painting en plein air, and his drawing was characterised by absolute perfection. His work therefore represented more of an alternative to Impressionism… Degas’s painting ‘Young Woman with an Ibis’ was created in several stages. The artist produced the first sketches as early as 1857–1858. At that time, it was a portrait of a pensive young woman, who appears enigmatic and raises a host of questions in the viewer’s mind. Between 1860 and 1862, Degas then reworked the piece, lending it an even more mysterious atmosphere. He added an imaginary urban landscape inspired by the Middle East, pink flowers and, above all, two red ibises. In ancient Egypt, these birds were associated with wisdom, and it is therefore possible that the artist intended to use them to emphasise the woman’s intellect. The combination of an elegant woman, an exotic landscape and a symbolic bird lends the painting an unusual, almost dreamlike quality…

The reverse side of the rectangular coin is entirely filled with a reproduction of Degas’s work. Thanks to colourisation technology, Young Woman with an Ibis stands out in vivid colours. The obverse side, which is filled with decorative curves, features the issuer’s details. Since the coin is issued under licence by the state of Cameroon, it bears its name and the nominal value of 1,000 CFA francs (XAF).

The coin is placed in an elegant frame, allowing you to display this work of art with ease.