Death of the Stadholder [reverse] 1751

This silver medal, commemorating the death of the Stadholder, was made by Johann Georg Holtzhey sometime in the late 18th century. Medals like this were made using a technique called striking, where a blank piece of metal is placed between two dies – hardened steel blocks engraved with the design. The dies are then hammered together, impressing the image onto the metal. The appeal of the struck medal lay in its relative speed of production, and crisp level of detail. Holtzhey has made full use of these possibilities, creating fine lettering and a complex composition, despite the medal’s small size. Although the medal commemorates a somber occasion, it’s worth remembering that objects like these were essentially commercial products. They were tokens of respect, but also of political allegiance, and Holtzhey, as a master of his craft, would have been keenly aware of the market for his work. The medal is not just a memento, but a testament to the skilled labor required to produce it.