Leicester, munt voor de provincie Holland 1586

Curator: This is a piece called "Leicester, munt voor de provincie Holland", or "Leicester, coin for the province of Holland", created anonymously in 1586. It's an engraved coin of metal that resides in the Rijksmuseum. What's catching your eye? Editor: The thing that immediately hits me is the incredible detail crammed into such a tiny space! You have a full portrait on one side and intricate heraldry on the other. It's like looking at history shrunk down to fit in my palm. Makes you think, what stories has this little object been a part of? Curator: Absolutely. These coins weren't just currency, but tools of political messaging. This piece would have circulated during a turbulent period, when the Dutch were rebelling against Spanish rule. The depiction of the English Earl of Leicester on the coin reflects a moment of alliance between the Dutch and English. It speaks to the material realities of funding wars and alliances during the early modern period, where monetary value intertwined with the symbolism of power and shifting allegiances. Editor: It is interesting to consider it as propaganda and the value that could change depending on whose hands held it and the image it portrayed. It almost has a sense of defiance about it, a quiet but potent rebellion captured in metal. Plus, whoever engraved this must have had the world's steadiest hands and best magnifying glass, which adds to its story as a remarkable feat of artisanal production and distribution. Curator: Indeed, the value of the coin also comes down to labour involved in its making, the accessibility of materials, the reach of the message it conveys. Coins like these serve as potent reminders of how much we can glean from something small and seemingly mundane when we view it as a nexus of economic and political systems. Editor: Makes you wonder about the other pocket-sized stories out there, waiting to be told! Thank you for putting that little coin in its greater context. Curator: Likewise, you offered a fresh appreciation of the artistry and its rebellious undertones.