Huwelijk van Frederik, prins der Nederlanden en Louise, prinses van Pruisen te Berlijn 1825

This bronze medal commemorating the marriage of Prince Frederik of the Netherlands and Princess Louise of Prussia was crafted by Gottfried Bernhard Loos. The medal’s smooth, reflective surface is achieved through a process called striking, where metal is forced into a die under extreme pressure. Look closely, and you can see the sharp, precise details of the couple's profiles, along with inscriptions around the perimeter. The weight and heft of the bronze give the object a sense of importance, fitting for the depiction of a royal event. Medals like this were often produced in multiples, allowing for wide distribution. They served not only as commemorative objects, but also as a form of political communication. The very material speaks to the status of the happy couple, yet also to the power of industrial processes to communicate that status to a wide audience.