Veertig stuiver, noodmunt uit Pernambuco, geslagen tijdens het beleg op last van de Nederlandse Westindische Compagnie 1654

This silver coin, a 'Veertig stuiver', was struck in Pernambuco on the order of the Dutch West India Company. It is a crude, square piece of metal, not the usual round form. The silver, likely locally sourced, reflects the economic realities of a colony under siege, emphasizing the resourcefulness required for survival. The design, stamped rather unceremoniously onto the surface, communicates the authority of the Dutch West India Company. This was a distinctly modern operation, driven by the logic of trade and military force. Yet it also relied on very old methods. Minting coins in this manner was not so different in its basic approach from that of ancient Rome. Here, it's adapted to the exigencies of colonial conflict. This object challenges distinctions between fine art and craft, revealing how economic and political forces shape even the most rudimentary objects of exchange.