A coin to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the National Gallery has been released today by The Royal Mint.
The £2 coin, designed by Edwina Ellis, has been launched to mark the Gallery’s Bicentenary celebrations and portrays the face of the building in Trafalgar Square.
An inscription around the edge of the coin reads ‘MAIORVM GLORIA POSTERIS LVMEN EST’, which translates to ‘the glory of our ancestors is a light to our descendants’. The same phrase is inscribed on the ceiling in the museum’s Wilkins Building.
This spring the coin will be included in a time capsule organised by the National Gallery as part of the bicentenary celebrations.
Rebecca Morgan, Director of Commemorative Coin at The Royal Mint said the coin was “a fitting tribute to a legacy of world-class paintings and the gallery’s unwavering dedication to preserving artistic brilliance. We hope that collectors enjoy this miniature piece of art for years to come.”
