Inname van Douai 1710

This silver medal by John Croker commemorates the capture of Douai, likely dating around 1710. On one side, we see Queen Anne, adorned as Augusta, a title echoing the Roman emperors, symbolizing power and divine approval. Turn the medal, and an allegorical scene unfolds. An angel stands before a column, upon which rests an inscribed globe: "SALVS PROVIN." The angel, often a messenger of the divine, here seems to be a guardian of the province. Below, the defeated flee in disarray, their chariot overturned. This motif of triumph over adversity is ancient, echoing Roman battle reliefs and even biblical narratives of victory over chaos. Consider how such imagery persists across time. The angel, a figure of salvation, contrasts with the chaotic retreat. This interplay of divine order and human struggle taps into deep-seated psychological themes: the desire for protection, the fear of defeat. These symbols are not static; they evolve. The angel, once a purely religious figure, now embodies political triumph. The medal thus becomes a potent artifact, revealing how collective memory reshapes and reinterprets symbols to serve new purposes.