2013 - Austria 50 € - The Expectation - Proof

Few painters have succeeded in portraying the female form with such aplomb as Gustav Klimt. A case in point is The Expectation, which features in all its glory on the second in our stunning five-piece Klimt and his Women series of 50 euro gold coins celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Viennese master’s birth.

Clearly inspired by Egyptian art, The Expectation is a prime example of how Klimt found inspiration in the past yet succeeded in creating something completely modern and original. It also exemplifies Klimt‘s trademark swirling decorative designs, as does The Tree of Life on the coin‘s obverse. Both pictures are mosaics from Klimt‘s famous frieze on the walls of the Palais Stoclet in Brussels. Commissioned by the wealthy Belgian banking family who owned the Palais, work on the Stoclet Frieze was actually undertaken by the Wiener Werkstätte, the ground-breaking Viennese modernist workshop of visual artists.

Also bearing the letter ‘L’ – the five-coin series spells KLIMT in its entirety ­– the coin is struck in Proof quality to a maximum mintage of 30,000 and comes in a case complete with a numbered certificate of authenticity. A superb wooden presentation case is also available for those keen to collect the complete Klimt and his Women series.