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| German Currency 5 DM Deutsche Mark |
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| 5 Deutsche Mark |
German mark banknotes, Deutsche Mark, German banknotes, German paper money, German bank notes, Germany banknotes, Germany paper money, Germany bank notes, German currency.
Obverse: Portrait of a Young Venetian Woman by Albrecht Dürer. (Renaissance Painting, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna)
Reverse: Oak sprig.
Deutsche Bundesbank pre-Euro German Deutsche Mark banknote.
The Deutsche Mark was the official currency of West Germany (1948–1990) and Germany (1990–2002) until the adoption of the euro in 2002. It is commonly called the "Deutschmark" in English but not in German. One Deutsche Mark was divided into 100 Pfennig. The Deutsche Mark was first issued under Allied occupation in 1948 replacing the Reichsmark, and served as the Federal Republic of Germany's official currency from its founding the following year until 1999, when the Mark was replaced by the euro; its coins and banknotes remained in circulation, defined in terms of euros, until the introduction of euro notes and coins in early 2002. The Deutsche Mark ceased to be legal tender immediately upon the introduction of the euro in contrast to the other Eurozone nations, where the euro and legacy currency circulated side by side for up to two months. Deutsche Mark coins and banknotes continued to be accepted as valid forms of payment in Germany until 28 February 2002.
The Deutsche Bundesbank has guaranteed that all Deutsche Mark in cash form may be changed into euros indefinitely, and one may do so at any branch of the Bundesbank in Germany. Banknotes can even be sent to the bank by mail.
On 31 December 1998, the European Central Bank (ECB) fixed the irrevocable exchange rate, effective 1 January 1999, for Deutsche Mark to euros as DM 1.95583 = €1.
More than half of all Germans would like to bring back the Deutsche mark, because the Deutsche mark is a symbol of West German stability and economic strength in the decades after World War Two.
Portrait of a Young Venetian Woman is a small bust length oil on elm panel painting by the German artist Albrecht Dürer from 1505. It was executed, along with a number of other high society portraits, during his second visit to Italy.
The woman wears a patterned gown with tied-on sleeves that show the chemise beneath. Her hair frames her face in soft waves, and back hair is confined in a small draped cap. The work's harmony and grace is achieved through its mixtures of tones, from her pale, elegant skin and reddish blond hair and to her black-and pearl necklace and highly-fashionable patterned dress; all of which are highlighted against a flat black background. It is similar in pose and colour tone to his c 1507 A German Woman from Venice, while at least two studies of Venetian women are known, both of which are very daring. One shows the model with a plunging neckline, the other with bare shoulders.
During his visit to Italy Dürer became fascinated by and befriended Giovanni Bellini, an established master when Dürer was still a relative unknown outside of Germany. The Franconian artist's influence can be seen in this work's soft modeling, dramatic lighting and vivid colours and tones.
The work was not identified as a Dürer original until it was found in a private Lithuanian collection in 1923. The identity of the sitter is lost, however in dress and hairstyle she appears to be Venetian rather than Germanic.