2012 \'F.H.Varley-Group of Seven\' Proof $20 Silver 1oz .9999 Fine (12992) (NT)
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
2012 \'F.H.Varley-Group of Seven\' Proof $20 Silver 1oz .9999 Fine (12992) (NT):
$63.65
2012 $20 FINE SILVER COIN – GROUP OF SEVEN – F.H. VARLEY (IN INDIVIDUAL CASE)
Stormy Weather, Georgian Bay (1921), by F.H. Varley
The reverse of this fine silver 1-ounce coin features a finely wrought engraved detail from Varley’s iconic painting. Taking a dramatic vantage point high atop a bluff overlooking the white-capped waters of Georgian Bay and vast cloud-filled horizon beyond, the image centres on a single wind-swept Jack Pine poised grippingly on a cliff above the Bay. Though rendered in silver, each sweeping brushstroke of Varley’s masterful depiction of this open, blustery North Ontarian landscape has been skillfully rendered in dimensional detail, from the writhing texture of the barren tree, the smooth stones of the rocky cliff, and the frothing white caps of the massive lake below, to the powerful, churning sky above and beyond the lake. Framing this detail from Varley’s painting is a smooth brilliant-finish ring embossed with the words \'20 DOLLARS,\' \'CANADA,\' \'2012,\' and \'F.H. VARLEY.\'
Special Features:
- New series of coins featuring Canadian Art by the Group of Seven. 3 coins in 2012 and 4 coins in 2013.
- Exquisite craftsmanship. Every brush stroke was recreated requiring approximately 80 man hours of engraving.
- Struck in 1 ounce of 99.99% pure silver.
- The remaining 6 coins complete the Group of Seven with Arthur Lismer ‘Nova Scotia Fishing Village,’ Franklin Carmichael ‘Houses, Cobalt,’ Lawren S. Harris ‘Toronto Street, Winter Morning,’ Franz Johnston ‘The Guardian of the Gorge,’ J.E.H. MacDonald ‘Sumacs’ and A.Y. Jackson ‘Saint-Tite-des-Caps.’
Product Specifications:
- Face Value: 20 dollars
- Mintage: 7,000 (Shared mintage with large cased version)
- Composition: 99.99% fine silver
- Weight (g): 31.39
- Diameter (mm): 38
- Edge: Serrated
- Finish: Proof
- Certificate: Serialized
- Artist: RCM engravers reproduced the Stormy Weather, Georgian Bay painting by F.H. Varley
Packaging:
- RCM engravers reproduced the Stormy Weather, Georgian Bay painting by F.H.Varley
- Coin is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint branded maroon clamshell case lined with flock and protected by a black sleeve.
The Artist: F.H. Varley
Frederick Horsman Varley was born in Sheffield, England on January 2, 1881. Educated first at the Sheffield School of Art (1892-1900) and then at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Antwerp, Belgium (1900-1902), Varley struggled to build a successful career in illustration in England. His friend and fellow Sheffielder, Arthur Lismer-who would go on to co-found the Group of Seven along with Varley and the others—had emigrated to Canada in 1911 and found some success there. Returning to Sheffield to get married in 1912, Lismer convinced his friend to make the same journey. Varley emigrated to Toronto in 1912. Lismer introduced Varley to other artists in Toronto, ultimately helping Varley begin his career in commercial art at Grip Limited along with new colleagues Tom Thomson and Frank Carmichael.
In 1918, Varley was commissioned by the Canadian War Records to paint Canadian troops in Europe and capture images of the war. In England and France Varley created iconic and enduring images of combat and the relentless suffering of war. His experience as a war artist profoundly affected him; Varley was one of the only Canadian war artists to question the purpose of the conflict.
Sometimes considered the \"gypsy\" of the Group of Seven, Varley was distinct in both his unmoored personal life and his relative lack of enthusiasm for the Ontario landscapes that his colleagues found so inspiring. His prime interest was portraiture. In the early 1920s, as the fledgling Group began to make its mark in the Canadian art scene, Varley found it difficult to make an income exclusively from portraiture and ultimately moved to Vancouver to teach at the Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Arts (now the Emily Carr University of Art & Design). He would become enamoured with the landscapes of British Columbia.
In the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, Varley ranged across Canada, teaching and honing his fine drafting skills, masterly use of colour, and creative use of perspective and form. He faced many years of financial struggle—sometimes painting very little, then beginning to sketch and travel once again. Varley died in Toronto on September 8, 1969. The Painting: Stormy Weather, Georgian Bay (1921)
While during his early Toronto years Varley was principally a figure painter, he painted one of his most iconic landscapes in 1921. At the cottage of Tom Thomson’s patron, Dr. James MacCallum, at Go Home Bay Varley painted the oil sketch Squally Weather, Georgian Bay. The next spring he exhibited this canvas at the second exhibition of the Group of Seven. The painting’s plunging vantage point gives way to the contradictory upward momentum of tree and sky, and the vast force of the white-capped bay below, creating a powerful sense of relentless movement that sweeps the viewer’s perspective from the vast stormy sky to the lone tree in the foreground.
An isolated single tree is seen in a number of the Group’s North Ontarian landscapes, yet Varley’s treatment contrasts significantly with other iconic images. In The Jack Pine Tom Thomson created a moody, solemn image bathed in an evening light. In stark contrast, Varley’s dramatic gestures and fluid brushwork provide an entirely different sensibility - a romantic vision painted with complete mastery of form and colour.
Advertising Date: April 3, 2012
Launch Date: April 16, 2012
2012 \'F.H.Varley-Group of Seven\' Proof $20 Silver 1oz .9999 Fine (12992) (NT):
$63.65