Oorlog op Java, groot draagteken uitgereikt aan de deelnemers, ter ere van Willem I Frederik, koning der Nederlanden 1830

Editor: This work, dating back to 1830, presents us with a pile of bronze medals—they’re called "Oorlog op Java, groot draagteken uitgereikt aan de deelnemers, ter ere van Willem I Frederik, koning der Nederlanden", made by David van der Kellen. The medals have a weathered, weighty feel to them. What catches your eye when you look at this display? Curator: The sheer number first, which whispers of the scale of the conflict, each medal a silent testament to a soldier's participation in the Java War. It's a physical manifestation of history. And then the repetitive form, almost like scales, but scales, perhaps not of justice, but of power, colonial reach. Don’t you feel that? The octagonal shape almost hints at the idea of containing something… holding in what these men went through in war. Editor: Scales of power… that's a fascinating way to put it. I hadn't considered the shape of the medal either; it's not a circle, which is interesting. Why not the conventional circle? Curator: The octagon is not as common in medals. A circle denotes a cycle, a feeling of endlessness, of eternal qualities. This shape? More grounded, more structured. What do you make of the relief imagery of these medals? Do you sense the heroic idealized in it or something more… ambiguous, given the context? Editor: Now that I look more closely, the images seem less about heroic exploits and more… commemorative. There’s a certain solemnity. These were made to be worn, right? As signifiers. Curator: Exactly! Consider the weight, both literally and figuratively. The soldier wearing this carries not only the bronze but the memory and meaning it embodies. A shared experience, forever etched. What’s your final thought after contemplating this cluster of remembrance? Editor: I think I see them differently now, as potent, tangible records of a complicated and painful history, beyond simple recognition. Curator: Precisely! A history weighed down and, hopefully, better understood with each viewing.