Bouw van het Crystal Palace voor de internationale tentoonstelling van industrie te Londen 1851

This commemorative coin by Ralph Heaton & Sons captures the Crystal Palace, built for the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London. Dominating the coin is the image of the Palace itself: a symbol of industrial progress and international unity. The architectural style and its vast glazed surface, visible even on this small scale, mark a departure from traditional construction. The Crystal Palace evokes the motif of the 'hortus conclusus', or enclosed garden, an ancient symbol of paradise or purity. Here, however, this garden is inverted, made of iron and glass, encapsulating the industrial progress of mankind, rather than nature itself. This ambitious structure mirrors earlier grandiose architectural endeavors, such as the Roman aqueducts or Gothic cathedrals, which also sought to defy physical limitations and reach for the heavens. Each echoes humanity’s striving for immortality through monumental creation. The collective memory of architectural grandeur, embedded in our subconscious, surfaces here, reminding us of our continuous pursuit of innovation and legacy.