20$ Ecstasy of Saint Teresa - Eternal Sculptures

This is the fifth coin in the "Eternal Sculptures" series. This time its subject is the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. 

The coin was struck from 5 ounces of pure silver. It has exceptionally high relief, and the use of special paint to recreate the natural marble look of the sculpture enhances the extraordinary beauty of this work of art. The selective gold colour further enhances the uniqueness of the sculpture. A floral pattern is used around the reverse to further embellish the coin. On the right side there is the name of the coin and the series. At the bottom the year of issue is written in Roman numerals. The obverse of the coin is equally beautiful. It features miniatures of all the coins of the series, together with the name of the issuer and the face value. The coin is delivered with a certificate of authenticity in an elegant box. The mintage is limited to only 499 pieces.

The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa is a Baroque sculptural group created by Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini in 1647-52, commissioned for the chapel at the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome. It depicts Saint Teresa of Avila and an angel. This work became the most controversial in Bernini's oeuvre, but also the most admired and considered his crowning achievement. The scene depicted by Bernini is an illustration of Teresa's vision in which she saw an angel. He pierced her heart with a spear, causing pain and joy at the same time.