Portrait of a Painter

On August 24, the National Bank of Romania released the first issue in a series dedicated to Romanian painters. The rectangular, colored silver coin honors Nicolae Tonitza.

The colored obverse features Tonitza’s painting Flori galbene (“yellow flowers”), which currently resides in the National History Museum of Romania. The denomination (10 lei) appears above, and ROMANIA is incorporated into the frame that surrounds the painting. Tonitza’s portrait appears on the reverse, with his name and years of birth and death (1886-1940). 

The National Bank of Romania released the coins into circulation through its regional branches in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Constanta, Craiova, Iasi, and Timisoara. Mintage is limited to 500. Collectors can purchase the silver coin, which comes with an informational booklet and a certificate of authenticity, for 1,150 lei (US$254). For more information, visit the National Bank of Romania’s website