Internationaal congres van fabrikanten, groothandelaars en winkeliers in edelgesteente en goud- en zilverwerk te Amsterdam

Carel Begeer made this bronze medal, commemorating a congress of jewelers and goldsmiths in Amsterdam. It’s a small thing, but dense with detail; it's an object of dedication. You can see this in the careful inscription, and the way the lettering takes up space on the surface, creating a pattern that almost overwhelms the coin. The surface is dark and smooth, worn with age. One side has a laurel wreath framing what looks like a crucible. It’s spare and bold. And the other side is just packed with text. You can imagine Begeer carefully cutting the shapes, slowly revealing each detail. I’m reminded of other artists who work with language like Jenny Holzer or even Barbara Kruger, but there's something more celebratory about this piece, it marks a specific occasion, a moment of coming together.