July 9, 2015 – Like a dream come true: The impressive Moorish Alhambra in Granada looks like a fantasy from 1001 Arabian Nights turned reality. And Coin Invest Trust has turned stone into precious metal by creating this new coin in its award-winning Tiffany Art series for Palau.
Palau / 50 dollar / silver .999 / c.1 kg / 100 mm / Mintage: 99.
The reverse shows a detail from the Court of Lions (Patio de los Leones) in the Alhambra, the palace of the Nasrid dynasty in Granada, as well as the Fountain of Lions, below a piece of inserted yellow Tiffany glass. Above the glass inlay, the inscription ALHAMBRA DE GRANADA, below, the name of the series, TIFFANY ART, and the year of issue, 2015.
The obverse depicts a wall that is richly decorated with stucco. The two-part field on the wall features the glass inlay on the left and the Court of Lions with the Fountain of Lions in the front on the right. The coat of arms of the issuing state Palau is engraved in the very foreground, to its left the nominal value, 50 DOLLARS.
‘Blessed is the eye that sees this garden of beauty’, Arabic poet Ibn Zamrak wrote in the 14th century when he visited the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. The ‘red castle’, as the name of the Alhambra translates into English, was built by Mohammed Ibn Yusuf Nasr. Originally from Medina, he founded the Nasrid dynasty in Granada. The castle hill became the residence of all Nasrid rulers. In 1492, the last of their house, Mohammed XII (Boabdil), turned the castle over to the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Isabella and Ferdinand, after a long siege.
1492 became a turning point in history. Christopher Columbus discovered America and the Catholic rulers issued the Alhambra Decree which expelled all Jews from their territory. After that, the palace slowly lost its significance. It fell into ruin under the Bourbons and parts of it were blown up by Napoleonic soldiers on their retreat.
The Court of Lions in the Alhambra. Photograph: Magalex / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.de
With the emergence of Romanticism and its renewed interest in the Orient in the 19th century, the Alhambra came to be seen as a symbol of Spain’s Muslim past. The castle became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Playful ornaments, an architecture that displays an incredible lightness, stucco elements that cover walls like lace curtains, and everything brought to life by the unique interplay of light and shadow and the omnipresent water: this is what makes this incarnation of Moorish architecture unique.
Palau / 10 dollar / silver .999 / c.2oz / 50 mm / Mintage: 999.
The Tiffany Art 2015 – Nasrid Style implements all this thanks to its virtuous usage of micro-engraving in high relief. The combination with the yellow Tiffany glass renders this artwork a new highlight in the multiple-award-winning series. The depicted Court of the Lions (Patio de los Leones) is one of the Alhambra’s most unique spots. If you hold the Tiffany coin in your hand, you cannot but agree with Ibn Zamrak.
The coins are minted by B.H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt GmbH. Collectors can purchase the issue through specialty dealers.
More information on this coin is available on the Coin Invest Trust website.
If you plan to visit the Alhambra or Granada, you can find many helpful information here.