Dukaton uit het wrak van de Oost-Indiëvaarder Liefde 1711

This is a Dukaton, a silver coin from the wreckage of the Dutch East India Company ship "Liefde," crafted by the province of Utrecht. The coin, a small disc of 4.2 cm diameter, presents a monochromatic palette dominated by the metallic sheen of silver. Its texture is patinated, a visual testament to its age and submersion. The coin’s composition is divided between an equestrian figure and inscribed text that encircles its circumference. This circular format, while conventional for currency, subtly reinforces ideas of wholeness and continuity. The figure of the knight, brandishing a sword, is a semiotic signifier of power, authority, and perhaps a claim of sovereignty over resources and trade. The patina blurs these forms, allowing the viewer to ponder not only the image’s intended message but also the effects of time and circumstance. Consider how the coin, as a marker of economic exchange, destabilizes fixed notions of value. Its presence in a shipwreck invites reflection on the transience of material wealth and the unpredictable nature of fortune.