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5 Dollars - Elizabeth II Pollice Verso
| Issuer | Solomon Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 2017 |
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| Reference(s) | KM#684 |
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|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | ELIZABETH II SOLOMON ISLANDS 5 DOLLARS IRB 2oz Ag 999 2017 |
| Reverse description | Dynamic high-relief depiction of a victorious gladiator standing in the arena, sword in hand, gazing upward toward the crowd and emperor awaiting the Pollice Verso verdict. The scene is rendered with exceptional sculptural detail, capturing the tension and drama of the Roman amphitheatre spectacle. The antiqued silver finish enhances the depth and shadowing of the composition, lending it the appearance of an ancient bas-relief. The legend GLADIATORS arcs along the upper border, with POLLICE VERSO inscribed below. |
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| Additional information |
Jean-Léon Gérôme's 1872 painting Pollice Verso — the source image here — is almost entirely responsible for the modern misconception that a downward thumb meant death in the Roman arena. Gérôme's research was selective at best, and most classical scholars now believe the fatal gesture was actually a raised or extended thumb mimicking a sword thrust. The painting convinced an entire century of popular culture regardless.
The coin is part of a broader numismatic program out of the Solomon Islands leveraging European fine art for the collector market — a sovereign issuer with no geographic or historical connection to the subject.