Lodewijk XIV verovert twaalf steden 1672

Curator: Well, what a curious artifact we have here! This relief sculpture is called "Lodewijk XIV verovert twaalf steden", dating back to 1672, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It looks cold. Imposing, almost, in its austere silver hue. What stories do these smooth metallic surfaces tell? It looks more like propaganda than art! Curator: Propaganda is just art deployed with intent, isn’t it? Consider the process involved: striking a metal relief is a means of mass production. This wasn't some singular act of artistic genius, but a calculated dissemination of an image... a very particular narrative. The "Sun King's" triumphs, multiplied, distributed. Editor: Exactly! The man, rendered with that characteristic Baroque drama... his hair like spun moonlight. The reverse showing the sun. Talk about gilded cages of symbolic expression. I imagine this was quite the little shiny thing to wave around at court! A constant reminder of power. Curator: Power cemented through materials and labor. Think of the workshops, the miners, the metalworkers – their contributions distilled into this object. Their labor is integral to the construction of this political icon. Editor: All lost to the sheen of royalty! The artist remains unknown as it seems this was more like a production piece intended to perpetuate a ruler’s aura. Yet there's something so raw about metal. It resists, and you have to yield, shape and melt to get your way. It sort of echos the relationship of monarch to subject, no? Curator: An insightful thought. The selection of materials indeed becomes an ideological statement. A constant display of power via tangible form and accessible on this smaller portable scale. It also touches on the consumption habits, right? Of both materials and of the message embedded within. Editor: Mmm. I came expecting art, and maybe I'm leaving having contemplated…the mechanics of soft-power through precious metal. Thanks for the different perspective, its a rare coin with much weight indeed.