Ter ere van Rudolf Mees bij het tweehonderdjarig bestaan van de firma Mees en Zoonen te Rotterdam 1920 1920

This bronze medal, made in 1920 by Jacob Jan van Goor, commemorates the two-hundredth anniversary of Mees en Zoonen in Rotterdam. It’s interesting to think about what it means to mark time in this way, to literally stamp an occasion with a symbolic object. Look at the way the light catches the raised surfaces. The artist has used the bas-relief to create a kind of shallow space, almost like a painting. On one side, we see a portrait, and on the other a landscape featuring a bridge and the Rotterdam skyline. Notice the texture, the way the artist uses line and shadow to suggest depth and form. The details aren't just applied, they are coaxed out of the material. The light seems to emanate from the medal, highlighting the nuances of the bronze. It reminds me of the work of the sculptor, Medardo Rosso, who aimed to capture fleeting moments of perception in bronze and wax. But whereas Rosso’s sculptures are more about immediacy, this medal feels more permanent, like an attempt to fix a moment in history. Art, like history, is always a conversation between past, present, and future.