This one kilogram silver coin from the Czech Mint, adorned with Czech crystal, is part of a loose series paying tribute to Alfons Mucha. It commemorates him not only a cosmopolitan but also a patriot.

Alfons Mucha navigated two seemingly incompatible opposites throughout his life—cosmopolitanism and patriotism. Being a citizen of the world and a patriot at the same time was not easy. His posters made him famous around the world, but instead of rejoicing in his success, he was tormented by pangs of conscience that, as a famous artist, he was not doing enough for his nation, which was suffering under Germanization. The feeling that he should put his talent at the service of the Czechs and other Slavs grew ever more intense as he grew older. He therefore vowed to himself that he would do something magnificent for his nation. He began creating the famous Slav Epic at a time when many prominent cultural figures expressed a certain skepticism toward the idea of Slavic identity, but this did not deter him. He presented this materialized dream of the mystical significance of Slavic identity to Czechoslovakia on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of its founding. His designs for postage stamps, banknotes, police uniforms, and the state coat of arms also made a valuable contribution to the formation of the independent republic following the collapse of Austria-Hungary—Mucha did all of this without claiming a fee. It is a sad paradox that the work of a man who never failed to emphasize his Czech identity to the world was often viewed critically at home…

Medallist Mgr. Art.Miroslav Hric, ArtD., based the coin’s design on Mucha’s poster created to promote the ballet pantomime titled Princess Hyacinth. The reverse side of the coin is dominated by the figure of the princess, portrayed by the popular actress Andula Sedláčková, who is surrounded by pressed glass stones. The obverse side is dominated by decorative floral motifs. Since the coins of the Czech Mint are issued with a foreign license from the island of Niue, the obverse side also bears its national coat of arms, the nominal value of 80 DOLLARS (NZD), and the year of issue 2026.

The mintage consists of only 50 coins, numbered on the edge.