Penning met een embleem en de namen van de keurvorsten van Brandenburg 1713

This commemorative medal, made by an anonymous artist, is printed on paper. It’s an ephemeral material compared to the more durable metals you might expect for a medal, but well-suited to the dissemination of political messages. The design is executed with the graphic precision of the printing press: crisp lines and clear lettering arrayed in concentric circles. This mechanical approach mirrors the subject matter itself. The medal celebrates a lineage of rulers, carefully cataloged like items on a balance sheet. It's a visual representation of power, organized and quantified for easy consumption. Look closely, and you’ll notice the prominent emblem at the center, flanked by what appear to be flags and a royal crown. This is not so much a work of individual artistic expression as a carefully constructed piece of political communication. The choice of paper and the printing process speak to a broader democratization of information. It is a far cry from the unique, hand-crafted medals of previous eras. This medal is a product of its time: an age of burgeoning print culture and increasingly sophisticated methods of disseminating power through propaganda.