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1 Dollar - Elizabeth II Fragment of Villa of Mysteries Fresco: 2/9
| Issuer | Niue |
|---|---|
| Year | 2011 |
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| Value | 1 Dollar |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | ELIZABETH II - 2011 - NIUE ISLAND - 1/9th of 9 Dollars |
| Reverse description | Full-color reproduction of a fragment from the ancient Roman fresco cycle of the Villa of Mysteries (Villa dei Misteri) in Pompeii, identified as panel 2 of 9. The scene depicts several draped figures rendered in the characteristic deep red, ochre, and earth-tone palette of the original first-century BC fresco. A seated central female figure in golden robes gestures toward a standing bearded male figure partially draped, while additional figures occupy the left and background. A Greek meander (key) border ornament runs along the upper edge of the rectangular composition, faithfully echoing the decorative frieze of the original antique fresco. |
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| Additional information |
The Villa of the Mysteries fresco, discovered in a suburban Pompeii villa in 1909, is one of the best-preserved examples of Roman Second Style painting, depicting what most scholars interpret as initiation rites into the Dionysiac mysteries. The full composition runs across three walls of a single room and was buried under Vesuvian ash in 79 AD, which accounts for the extraordinary color retention that made it famous once excavated.
Niue issued this fresco in nine separate coin-segments — an approach borrowed from the European "puzzle coin" format popularized in the 2000s. Collecting all nine reconstitutes the painted scene across the combined reverses.