The Central Bank of Malta will issue a numismatic coin as part of the Europa Programme ‘European Artists’ commemorating the renowned Maltese sculptor Antonio Sciortino (1879 -1947). This coin will be issued in gold and silver versions with a face value of €50 and €10 respectively.

This will be the second coin issued by the Bank in its 2012 Coin Programme.

Antonio Sciortino was born in Malta and at an early age went to continue his art studies in Rome at the Regio Istituto di Belle Arti. He spent much of his life in that city, where he eventually became the Director of the Accademia Britannica. He was strongly influenced by the French sculptor Auguste Rodin, and much of his best works reveals this influence. His favourite medium was bronze.

The coin features Sciortino’s masterpiece ‘Les Gavroches’ (Street Urchins), which was sculptured in 1904 inspired by the poor street urchins in Victor Hugo’s renowned novel ‘Les Miserables.’

The bronze statue was placed at the Upper Barrakka Gardens in Valletta, but following its restoration in 2003, it was moved to the National Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta and a replica was placed in its stead.

A sculptured model of the ‘Les Gavroches’ statue was presented to Queen Elizabeth II when she visited Malta as a princess in 1951. The model forms part of the Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace.

The distribution of the coins will commence from Monday 30 April 2012. Bank officials will contact all those who placed their orders to inform them of their allocation, the means of payment and the dates on which they will be requested to collect their coins.

For further information, the public is kindly requested to contact the Malta Coins Distribution Centre of the Bank by an e-mail to mcdc@centralbankmalta.org or by calling (+356) 2550 6008.

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