Prijspenning van de Koninklijke Nederlandsche Motorwielrijdersvereeniging (1922) 1922

Chris van der Hoef made this medal for the Royal Dutch Motorcycle Association in 1922, probably using a die-casting process. The design is striking – the crown at the top, the stylized lettering cascading down – but what really gets me is the surface quality. You can see the fine textures, almost like tiny brushstrokes, that come from the casting. Think about it: molten metal poured into a mold, capturing every detail. It's a direct, almost violent, process. And the way it's aged, that subtle patina, it gives the medal a sense of history, of being touched and held. Look at the sharp edges, the way the light catches them. It's a small object, but it feels monumental, permanent. Van der Hoef was working in a tradition of coin and medal design that goes way back, but there’s something modern about his approach, a simplification of forms that reminds me of art deco. It's a reminder that art is always a conversation, a push and pull between the past and the present.