Karel III tot koning van Spanje uitgeroepen; penning door Karel aan de werfvoogd van Rotterdam, Jacob van Leeuwen geschonken 1703

This oval silver medal was created by Johann Georg Seidlitz, commemorating Karl III’s proclamation as King of Spain, and gifted by Karl to Jacob van Leeuwen, the Rotterdam dockyard supervisor. The medal’s imagery and inscription is die-struck with great precision into the silver. Notice the portrait of Karl III on one side, carefully engraved with a sharp eye for detail. Turn it over to see an eagle beneath a radiant sun – a visual symbol of power and divine right. Medals like these were essentially early forms of propaganda, designed to circulate an image of the ruler among his subjects. What’s fascinating is that Karl presented this particular medal to a dockyard supervisor. This speaks to the importance of maritime power and shipbuilding to the Spanish crown, and the distribution of wealth and power. Thinking about the medal in this way, it’s not just a commemoration. It's a token that embodies a potent mix of labor, politics, and royal ambition.