2025 Canada $50 Baffin Island Mountains by Lawren S. Harris Fine Silver (No Tax)

2025 Canada $50 Baffin Island Mountains by Lawren S. Harris Fine Silver (No Tax)

A Lawren S. Harris original is transformed into fine silver art.

A key member of the Group of Seven whose paintings shaped Canada’s artistic identity, Lawren S. Harris presented a singular vision of Northern Canada in his series of Arctic works, which include the canvas Baffin Island Mountains (c. 1931). The stylized mountain landscape appears stark at first glance, but it is filled with contrasts that imbue the painting with light and spiritual energy. The scene is far from flat, and neither is our take on it: this dimensionally sculpted, 99.99% pure silver version places the focus on Harris’ bold lines and symmetrical composition, using various frostings and relief heights to mimic the original contrasts and forms that inspire reverence for nature in its purest form.

See Baffin Island through an artist’s eyes

Instead of colour, varying relief heights and contrasting frostings mimic the original interplay of light and shadow.

Baffin Island Mountains is one of six large canvases produced by Harris after his 1930 voyage to the Eastern Arctic. Harris spent two months aboard the supply vessel S.S. Beothic, visiting various sites and completing over 50 oil sketches.

Completed circa 1931, the original painting remained in private hands until May 29, 2001, when it went up for auction and sold for $2.2 million. At the time, it was the highest price ever paid for a Canadian painting; it was later donated to the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) as part of the Thomson Collection of Canadian Art, where it is currently on view.

The coin’s reverse features a carefully sculpted adaptation of Baffin Island Mountains (c. 1931), one of several Arctic canvases by Lawren Stewart Harris, the renowned landscape painter and a founding member of Canada’s famous Group of Seven painters. While Harris’ original oil painting features cool blues, bold browns and varying shades of white, this engraved interpretation uses different frostings and relief heights to re-create the dramatic contrast between the icy peaks and the radiant sky, as well as the rugged rocks and the icy water. The obverse features a wavy pattern and the effigy of His Majesty King Charles III by Canadian artist Steven Rosati.

Specifications:
RCM Number: 251336
Mintage: 1,250
Composition: 99.99% pure silver
Weight: 157.6 g
Diameter: 65.25 mm
Face Value: $50
Finish: Proof
Edge: Serrated
Artists: Lawren S. Harris (reverse), Steven Rosati (obverse)

Special Features:

• From canvas to coin. See Baffin Island through an artist’s eyes, with this engraved version of an iconic painting by renowned Canadian landscape painter Lawren Harris.
• Sculpted art. While bold colours characterize much of Harris’s work, this engraved adaptation of Baffiin Island Mountains shifts the focus to the strong composition and the simplified forms used to convey the spiritual essence of the Arctic landscape.
• Includes art card. Each coin comes with an art card featuring a colour image of the original painting for a side-by-side comparison.
• Contrasting frostings. Varying relief heights and contrasting frostings mimic the original interplay of light and shadow.
• One of the most influential modern Canadian artists. One of the most important figures in modern Canadian art, Harris was a founding member of the Group of Seven painters and a major supporter of fellow Canadian artists.
• Pure silver. The coin is crafted in 5 oz. of 99.99% pure silver with a stunning proof finish.
• A limited work of art. Mintage is limited to only 1,250 coins available worldwide.
• No GST/HST

Packaging:
The coin is encapsulated and presented in a black Royal Canadian Mint-branded clamshell with a black beauty box. It is accompanied by an art card featuring a colour print of the original painting.