"Double Eagle" Twenty Dollar Gold Piece [obverse] c. 1905 - 1907

This Double Eagle twenty-dollar gold piece was designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Look at the way he’s used light to model the figure of Liberty. It's not just about representation; it's about the play of light across the surface, the way it catches and defines the folds of her dress. There’s a real sensuality to the surface. The incuse lettering is sharp and precise, but then you have these softer, more organic forms in Liberty's figure, her hair blowing in the wind, the texture of the olive branch she holds. I'm drawn to the way her drapery falls, almost like liquid gold solidified. There's a real tension between the rigidity of the coin's design and the fluidity of the figure, a beautiful dance between control and freedom. It makes me think of Rodin, another artist who understood how to capture movement and emotion in bronze. With this coin, Saint-Gaudens wasn't just designing money; he was creating a miniature sculpture, an object of beauty and contemplation.