Vrije van Brugge, rekenpenning geslagen ter ere van Maria Theresia, Duits keizerin Possibly 1776 - 1780

This is a medal, or rekenpenning, made by Theodorus Victor van Berckel, honoring Maria Theresa, the Holy Roman Empress. While functioning as currency, these medals also served as political tools. Consider the image of Maria Theresa on one side. The male gaze is averted here. We are presented with a woman in power, but her authority is expressed through a conventional, feminine, and therefore limited lens. On the reverse we see allegorical figures, semi-nude, flanking a shield. These figures borrow from classical imagery to give a timeless quality to the celebration of power. These images are not simply neutral representations; they are active participants in a complex conversation about power, gender, and representation, reflecting the negotiations of identity within the rigid structures of 18th-century European society. How might the average citizen have felt holding this?