Catalog
3 Argenteus - Aureus Magnus Knight, Death and the Devil
| Issuer | Germany, Federal Republic of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1981 |
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| Value | 3 Argenteus |
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| Obverse description | Adaptation of Albrecht Dürer's celebrated 1513 engraving 'Knight, Death and the Devil', rendered in fine medallic style. A fully armoured knight on horseback advances to the right across rocky terrain, carrying a lance and accompanied by a hound at the horse's feet. A skull and a small tablet inscription are visible in the lower field, with a fortified castle silhouetted on the rocky outcrop in the right background. The composition faithfully follows Dürer's original intaglio design, conveying the allegory of the Christian knight steadfast in the face of mortality and evil. The legend 'EXEMPL 1981' appears in the lower exergue area. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The "Knight, Death and the Devil" subject derives from Albrecht Dürer's 1513 engraving, one of his three so-called "Meisterstiche" alongside Melencolia I and Saint Jerome in His Study. Dürer never titled the work himself — the popular name was attached by later commentators, and scholars still debate whether the rider represents Christian resolve or something more ambiguous.
The "Argenteus Aureus Magnus" designation is a private fantasy issue, not an official Federal Republic emission. X# prefixes in Krause confirm this: struck for the collector market rather than circulation.