200th Anniversary of the Birth of A.S.Pushkin

Obverse

in the center — the Emblem of the Bank of Russia (the two headed eagle designed by I.Bilibin,lower —the semicircular inscription — «БАНК РОССИИ» (BANK OF RUSSIA) framed by a circle of dots and inscriptions along the rim: at the top — «ДВАДЦАТЬ ПЯТЬ РУБЛЕЙ» (TWENTY FIVE RUBLES), at the bottom — «1999», the letters to the left indicate the metal sign and the fineness, to the right — the fine metal content and the mint trade mark.

Reverse

the picture of A.S.Pushkin holding a walking stick in his hand during a walk, behind him — the stylized contour of Onegin, in the background to the left at the bottom — the dabble portrait in oval, a pair of duel pistols and a letter, at the bottom — a country estate, a tearing three horses harnessed in a carriage,to the right at the top — the contours of St.Petersburg, a sitting woman,before her — a man on bended knees,at the bottom — a light in the candlestick, an ink pot with goose quill, a sealed envelope, lower — the inscription: «АЛЕКСАНДР ПУШКИН» (ALEXANDR PUSHKIN) and the dates in two lines «1799» «1837».

Authors

The artist: A.V.Baklanov
The sculptor: A.V.Baklanov
Moscow Mint (ММД)
The edge: 252 corrugations

During the south exile, in May 1823 in Odessa, Pushkin started work on the novel in verse «Evgeny Onegin »and wrote the first three chapters. The central chapters of the novel had been written in Mikhailovskoye in 1824-1826.The novel was finished in 1831. A real Russian life is embodied in the novel Evgeny Onegin with such creative power and completeness which have not existed before Pushkin.The poet recreated the way of life of capital and provincial nobility, the way of life and spiritual composition of a "typical" hero placing near him a type of a positive and indisputable beauty in the person of the Russian woman Tatyana. V.G.Belinsky,Russian literary critic, called the novel «Evgeny Onegin» as «the encyclopedia of Russian life».