RAISING OF THE CROSS Triptych Peter Paul Rubens 3 Silver Coin Set 1$ 2$ Niue 2012

This coin depicts "The Raising of the Cross", a masterpiece of painter "Rubens". The work shows the clear influence of Italian Renaissance and Baroque artists such as Caravaggio, Tintoretto, and Michelangelo. The central panel illustrates a tension between the multitude of finely muscled men attempting to lift the cross and the seemingly unbearable weight of Christ on the cross. Christ cuts across the central panel in a diagonal, stylistically akin to Caravaggio's Entombment where both descent and ascent are in play at a key moment. Motion, space and time are illustrated along with the struggle to upright the cross. Rubens uses dynamic color and chiaroscuro boldly, a style that would become more subtle with time. The reverse of each coin depicts Queen Elizabeth II profile. The three coins are housed in an elegant wooden box with an illustrative book.