Internationale tentoonstelling van voorwerpen voor de huishouding en het bedrijf van de handwerksman te Amsterdam 1869

This medal by Jan Daniel Posthumus, crafted in 1869, commemorates the International Exhibition of Objects for the Household and Business of the Craftsman in Amsterdam. Struck in silver, the coin presents a study in low relief, its circular form containing two distinct images. On one side, a complex structure resembling a stylized beehive rises from a terrestrial base, crowned with symbolic extensions. The opposite face features a heraldic emblem encircled by a wreath and inscriptions. Posthumus has cleverly employed the limitations of the medium to suggest depth and texture, using subtle variations in the silver's surface to define the figures. Consider how the composition of each side reflects the values of the exhibition. One side celebrating the tools for labour, the other side, a coat of arms, celebrating the location of Amsterdam in which the exhibition took place. The coin itself becomes a symbolic object, mediating between the international scope of the exhibition and the local craftsmanship it celebrates.