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5 Dollars - Charles III Lion of Lucerne
| Issuer | Cook Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 2024 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Dollars |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | High-relief depiction of the Lion Monument of Lucerne (Löwendenkmal), reproducing Bertel Thorvaldsen's celebrated 1821 memorial sculpture. The dying lion is shown recumbent within a rocky niche, its head resting upon a shield bearing the Swiss cross, a broken spear piercing its flank. The deeply textured rocky background is rendered with exceptional sculptural detail, contrasting with the polished surfaces of the lion's form. The upper legend 'HELVETIORUM FIDEI AC VIRTUTI' arcs along the top of the field, while 'LÖWENDENKMAL LUZERN' appears along the lower exergual line. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The Lion of Lucerne, carved into a sandstone cliff face by sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen in 1820, commemorates the Swiss Guards massacred during the storming of the Tuileries Palace in August 1792 — an event in which roughly 600 of the approximately 900-man garrison died defending Louis XVI. Mark Twain called it the most mournful piece of stone in the world, a description that has followed it ever since.