Overlijden van Wilhelmina van der Lijnden 1685

This is a silver medal commemorating the death of Wilhelmina van der Lijnden, made by an anonymous artist. The medal provides a fascinating glimpse into the cultural attitudes towards death and remembrance during the time it was made. The imagery on both sides—from the allegorical figure of death confronting a female warrior to the cherubs surrounding a funerary urn—reflects the period's preoccupation with mortality. These images offer insight into the social and personal dimensions of grief and mourning, revealing how the death of an individual like Wilhelmina van der Lijnden was marked and memorialized. Consider how the visual language employed in the medal, with its classical references and symbolic figures, attempts to transcend the personal loss and situate it within broader moral or philosophical frameworks. The question is how the artist balances the need to honor an individual's memory with the desire to convey universal truths about life, death, and legacy.