Oprichting van een standbeeld te 's-Gravenhage voor Willem II, koning der Nederlanden 1854

Curator: Today, we're looking at a medal titled "Oprichting van een standbeeld te 's-Gravenhage voor Willem II, koning der Nederlanden," or "Erection of a Statue in The Hague for William II, King of the Netherlands." It was crafted in 1854 by Johan Philip Menger and resides here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It strikes me as something of a subdued affair, almost somber despite the triumphal subject matter. There's a cool formality to the metal, a kind of detached reverence. Curator: Metal as a medium here is significant. Medals were often struck from precious metals, and disseminated among privileged populations: they acted as political currency, connecting manufacture to monarchial memory. Their metallic quality implied permanence, literally forging connections between present commemoration, and legacy. Editor: I'm drawn to the central image—a statue atop a pedestal. There's a figure of William II, rendered, I presume, heroically. Beneath him are two draped female figures— are those personifications of virtues or allegories of the Netherlands? Curator: Considering the historical context, these figures act to reinforce the virtues of the Dutch monarchy: a continuation of its divine right. Editor: What interests me most is this act of erecting a monument—the layers of meaning. The physical act of raising a statue becomes itself an act of memorialization, and this medal acts as a representation of that initial tribute, deepening its symbolism. Curator: The inscription around the central image names not only William II, but also highlights the date and the city, inscribing both place and temporality of political authority in both the medal’s creation, and its function. Editor: Seeing the oak wreath on the reverse underscores this continuity too; oak leaves often represented strength, longevity, and honor. It is all woven together to establish an immutable past—or perhaps an imagined history to inspire confidence in the Dutch people. Curator: In Menger’s rendering, even a medium as seemingly neutral as struck metal is deployed for carefully constructing narratives around power, nationhood, and public memory. Editor: It is fascinating to consider how such small object embodies complex historical ambitions and cultural meanings through both its chosen images, its circulation as cultural currency, and materials.