420th Birthday of Gian Lorenzo Bernini

The famous marble sculpture Bust of Costanza Bonarelli, held in the Bargello National Museum in Florence; the inscription "BERNINI" and the dates "1598" and "2018"; the country name "SAN MARINO", the initials of designer Annalisa Masini and the "R" mintmark.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini is among the most defining artists of the European Baroque - and San Marino, the independent republic located in the heart of Italy, shares a particular cultural closeness to Italian art history. Bernini was born in 1598 in Naples and, from a young age, became a sought-after sculptor and architect for papal patrons in Rome. His body of work encompasses sculptures, church interiors and urban architecture of European rank: St Peter's Square with its colonnades, the baldachin in St Peter's Basilica, and numerous fountains in Rome all bear his signature. Bernini was unmatched in his ability to imbue marble with a vitality that continues to captivate viewers worldwide today. The bust of Costanza Bonarelli, created around 1636 and now held in the Bargello in Florence, is regarded as one of the most striking portraits of his time - a private work that shows the psychological depth Bernini was capable of achieving without a representational commission.

Bernini's significance extends far beyond his immediate output: as director of papal building projects, he decisively shaped Rome's image as the capital of the Catholic world and influenced subsequent generations of sculptors and architects across Europe. He died in 1680 in Rome, highly honoured and productive to the last. With its 2-euro commemorative coin of 2018, San Marino marks the 420th birthday of this exceptional artist, honouring a legacy that belongs to the shared cultural foundation of Italy and the neighbouring republic.