Results of the public competition for the design of a €100 gold collector coin commemorating Bratislava coronation – the 275th anniversary of the coronation of Maria Theresa
First prize (the design selected for the coin)
akad. mal. Vladimír Pavlica
Reduced third prize
akad. soch. Michal Gavula
Reduced third prize
akad. soch. Ivan Řehák
Reduced third prize
Karol Ličko
In July 2015 Národná banka Slovenska announced a public competition for the design of a €100 gold collector coin commemorating the 275th anniversary of Maria Theresa’s coronation in Bratislava. A total of 19 designs by 16 designers were entered in the competition. In October 2015 they were evaluated anonymously by the Committee for the Assessment of Commemorative and Collector Coin Designs. The Committee was assisted in this task by two expert advisors: PhDr. Tünde Lengyelová, CSc., a representative of the Institute of History of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, and PhDr. Štefan Holčík, CSc., a historian.
The design by Vladimir Pavlica was awarded first prize, and on the Committee’s recommendation, the NBS Bank Board approved his design for the coin. The Committee appreciated the designer’s very good treatment of the given theme, the high-quality artwork and it also praised the unusual oval-shaped medallion which was inserted on both (circular) sides of the coin. The historically accurate townscape and motifs from the coronation parade on the obverse design and the portrait of the young queen on the reverse side were also highlighted for positive evaluation.
No second prize was awarded. Three designs were awarded a reduced third prize.
The design by Michal Gavula was given credit for capturing the theme and elaborating the coronation scene in the obverse design, and for the queen’s portrait on the reverse side, which was suitably accompanied by an architectural fragment from St. Martin cathedral, the coronation venue. The Committee took issue, however, with the number of details, especially considering the smaller size of the gold coin.
The design by Ivan Řehák was praised by the Committee particularly for the rendition of the obverse side which was dominated by a depiction of an angel from the decoration of St. Martin’s Cathedral created by one of the greatest baroque sculptors, Georg Rafael Donner. The silhouettes of the main coronation actors – queen, bishop and palatine were added beneath this depiction. The author took into account the coin proof design in which the highly polished figures would stand out against a surrounding matt background. On the other hand, the Committee felt that the monarch’s portrait on the reverse side did not quite reach the artistic quality of the obverse side design.
The positive aspects that the Committee identified in the coin design by Karol Ličko included a number of well rendered historical elements typical for that period. The obverse design shows the castle and its surroundings as they looked at that time together with the coronation parade. This composition is fittingly complemented by a depiction of both sides of Maria Theresa’s coronation token. The reverse design features a portrait of the monarch with her crown being carried by two angels and the townscape and coronation assembly in the background. The design’s value is multiplied by the harmony of the obverse and reverse design together with the inscription around the edge of the design enriched by a pearl decoration element.
The gold collector coin is due to be issued in May 2016.