Overlijden van Maria II van Engeland 1695

Editor: Here we have an interesting bronze medal, “Overlijden van Maria II van Engeland,” commemorating the death of Queen Mary II of England in 1695. It’s anonymous and housed at the Rijksmuseum. One side has her profile and the other side shows three women. What strikes me is the scale of detail given its size. What do you see in this piece? Curator: This work speaks volumes about the socio-economic factors shaping artistic production. Bronze, not gold or silver, signals a wider audience for these commemorative objects, expanding beyond the elite. Consider the labor involved in crafting these intricate designs—from the initial sketches, to the casting and engraving. What does it tell us about the production, circulation, and consumption of royal power during that era? Editor: So you're saying the very *material* choice influences who the message is meant to reach? Curator: Precisely. Bronze medals, unlike unique paintings or sculptures, could be mass-produced. It suggests the Crown aimed for broad distribution, solidifying Mary's legacy across different social strata. The iconography, too, is crucial. Look closely; what are the allegorical figures meant to convey? How do these visual choices tie into specific political and economic ideologies that shaped 17th century England? Editor: The three women…perhaps they symbolize faith, hope, and charity grieving the queen's passing? And the inscriptions probably drove home the official narrative...it sounds like there was a complex relationship between power, labor, and accessibility. Curator: Indeed. Thinking about this object shifts our perspective, from simple aesthetic appreciation to critical understanding of labor relations and ideological distribution within its time. Hopefully it also makes you question how society values materials today. Editor: I never considered a medal in terms of its "reach" like that before, very insightful. Curator: Thinking critically about the social life of materials encourages us to re-evaluate other art objects from a different vantage point.