11 July 2019
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George & the Dragon online coin exhibition
Discover the history of St George on world coins in a new online exhibition from The Royal Mint Museum.
The online exhibition spotlights a variety of world coins, looking at how St George has been portrayed over the centuries. The heroism of good triumphing-over evil has been celebrated for thousands of years and appears on paintings, sculptures and coins, with St George a popular subject for such works of art, shown dramatically slaying a dragon.
In 1817 a British George III gold sovereign used Benedetto Pistrucci's interpretation of George & the Dragon to create a distinctive coin. Also featured are George nobles issued during the Tudor era (shown here) and a William Wyon interpretation of George & the Dragon created for Prince Albert.
Long before Pistrucci and Wyon's work, countries across Europe has featured St George on their coins, with Italy and Germany being particularly fond of the legend; the German States featured St George from the 1670s with the Italian states following suit in the 18th century.
Explore the exhibition at Google Arts & Culture and find out more about the Royal Mint Museum at their website.
QUICK LINK: Peter Pan 50p collection from Isle of Man
(image copyright Royal Mint Museum)
