09.12.2010 to 31.03.2011
An exhibition presented by the National Museums' Numismatic Collection and the Kunsthistorisches Museum's Münzkabinett in Vienna, on show in the Bode-Museum.
A gold rush in the Bode-Museum! The National Museums' Numismatic Collection and the Kunsthistorisches Museum's Münzkabinett in Vienna have taken today's rocketing gold price and the current global run on gold as an opportunity to present a joint exhibition on the theme of gold in coins and medallions in the Bode-Museum. From 9 December 2010, visitors will have the chance to admire not only coins and medallions made of gold, but also true 'gold giants' - exceptionally large and heavy minted works in gold, dating from antiquity to the present day.
The spectrum of works on display ranges from Roman gold medallions originating from the 3rd century, 'Portugaleser' (coins copied from the Portuguese 10 ducat coin, minted in Hamburg and other North German towns from the 1550s onwards) and multiple ducats from the modern period up to the bullion coins still struck today. Many of the treasures from Vienna's Münzkabinett unveiled here today are being shown for the first time ever outside of Vienna. In addition to these works, the exhibition is further enriched by some exquisite loans from the Oesterreichische Nationalbank (National Bank of Austria) in Vienna, as well as from other international collections.
A particular highlight in the show are the two largest and heaviest gold coins in the world: one nicknamed 'Big Phil' (origin: Austria, worth: €100,000, Vienna Philharmonic 2004, weight: 30 kg gold) and one 'Million Dollar Coin' (origin: Canada, face value: $1 million, 2007, weight: 100 kg gold, auctioned earlier this year for over €3.2 million). Never before has so much spectacular gold been on show in one place!
Organizer