Moneta Austria The peony - 10 euros Copper 2024 - The Language of Flowers

10 Euros AUSTRIA 2024

Theme : THE PEPPER - THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS

Quality : UNC (uncirculated)

Circulation : 130 000 copies.
Copper - 15 g - Ø 32 mm

Whether to convey feelings of love, desire and friendship, congratulations and condolences, declarations of intent or even forbidden and unspeakable things, flowers have been used as a form of language throughout history, with each country and culture having its own version.

The Austrian collection devoted to the language of flowers revives this age-old custom, exploring the meanings, folklore, properties and uses of seven well-known flowers.

Lasting just seven to ten days, the flowers that emerge from the peony's spherical bud are a true marvel. So it's a good idea to appreciate the ephemeral beauty of this flower while there's still time.

In the language of flowers, the peony symbolises luck and happiness, and is associated with brightness, prosperity, boldness and honour. The flower also has other symbolic associations, including compassion, love, beauty and female fertility. In England, the peony is sometimes called the "royal rose" and the Chinese word for peony, shaoyao, means "the most beautiful". Peonies have been painted by many European artists, including Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet and Édouard Manet, and the peony's opulent beauty has long been a popular subject in Chinese and Japanese literature, painting and decoration.

Chinese legend has it that a capricious empress ordered all the flowers in her garden to bloom at the same time. They all complied, except for the peony. Annoyed by the flower's refusal, the empress banished it to the coldest regions of the empire, but despite this inhospitable environment, the peony flourished. Impressed, the empress allowed the peony to return and declared it the "queen of all flowers".

Representing happiness and joy, the obverse of the coin shows a smiling young woman whose hair is adorned with laurels and pearls. To the right of her head is a curved cornucopia from which peony chalices and coins flow. The reverse of the coin features three impressions of real peonies at different stages of flowering, behind which is a band of stylised peonies.

None of the main flower images in the series is based on a drawing or illustration. The starting point for each piece is a real flower grown in nature, which is then pressed using a special technique to capture the flower in its natural state.