Emma, koningin-moeder der Nederlanden, sinds vijftig jaar Nederlandse 1929

This medal of Emma, Queen Mother of the Netherlands, was made by Jacob Jan van Goor out of bronze, but time, touch and air have conspired to make it a lovely pale gold. I love to think about how the image on this medal—the way the metal has been pushed and prodded into shape—started its life as an idea in Van Goor’s mind. Look closely, and you can see the tiny incised lines that define the details of Queen Emma’s profile and the heraldic symbols on the reverse. The relief is so subtle; it's almost as if the images are emerging from the surface, like a half-formed memory. And that patina! It’s built up over decades, tracing all the hands and pockets this medal has passed through. I imagine someone wearing it to a remembrance day, or maybe just keeping it tucked away in a drawer as a quiet token of history. Van Goor, who dedicated himself to capturing not just likeness but the very spirit of a person, could be compared to someone like the American sculptor, Malvina Hoffman, who also worked in bronze. Ultimately, art is all about this kind of conversation across time, offering different perspectives and embracing the layered stories that objects can tell.