Bedel van zilver van een molen c. 1953 - 1970

Curator: Here we have a silver pendant crafted in the form of a windmill, likely created between 1953 and 1970 by G. Foreman. It’s such a delicate piece. Editor: It's tiny! My first thought is of its creation; the detail suggests a lost-wax casting method. You can almost feel the skill needed to capture the brickwork at such a minute scale. Curator: Absolutely, and think about the symbolism. The windmill, for the Netherlands, has always been tied to notions of progress, industry, and harnessing natural resources. The imagery carries strong connotations with national identity, particularly after WWII and the national reconstruction programs. Editor: That reconstruction really is material, isn't it? Consider how this tiny trinket served, potentially, as an accessible luxury item, a symbol available to a broad swathe of the population demonstrating that national pride and recovery. Curator: And in that period after the war, we really see an effort from many local jewelers to tap into that need. Decorative, but it carried social meaning and became almost part of public discourse about building back the nation. Editor: I’m struck by the object’s patina – evidence of handling. To me, that's proof of the social life it once possessed; this wasn't made to be preserved untouched, but actively interacted with. I wonder about the life of its former owner. Curator: Precisely. Someone, somewhere, saw fit to carry around a silver representation of their national pride. It speaks to the potent emotional charge tied to even the most quotidian items. Editor: In a way, the everyday materiality here speaks volumes about shared experience and collective aspirations from the time. A piece of history captured in a delicate form. Curator: A tangible embodiment of the hopes and dreams of an entire country in such a challenging period, now reified into personal expression. It's remarkable, really.