Stichting van de Koninklijke Akademie van Schoone Kunsten te Antwerpen, ter ere van Willem I Frederik, koning der Nederlanden 1817

This silver medal, commemorating the Foundation of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, was designed by Pierre Wautier van de Goor. The profile of Willem I Frederik, King of the Netherlands, takes centre stage, an embodiment of power echoing the Roman emperors of antiquity. The portrait evokes a sense of classical authority, much like the busts of Roman emperors whose visual language was revived during the Renaissance to signal legitimacy and strength. Think of the enduring symbolism of the laurel wreath, a motif adopted by rulers throughout history. This symbol, initially a sign of victory and honour in ancient Greece and Rome, experienced a revival in the Renaissance, adorning portraits of rulers and intellectuals to signify their achievements and association with classical ideals. The cyclical return of such symbols reveals a deeper human impulse—the need to connect with the past. These symbols are vessels carrying cultural memory, resurfacing in different eras, their meanings shaped and reshaped by the collective consciousness.