Lustrumfeest van de Leidse Universiteit 1835, op naam van N. Dumpel 1835

This bronze medal by Johannes Petrus Schouberg commemorates the ‘Lustrumfeest’ or fifth anniversary of Leiden University in 1835. The allegory on one side is of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare, seated on a chariot, holding laurel branches and banners. The other side of the medal is inscribed with ‘N. Dumpel,’ indicating it was likely commissioned in honor of a specific graduate of the university. Founded in 1575, Leiden University was, and remains, an important institution in the Netherlands, associated with the Dutch Royal Family and a center for progressive intellectual thought. This medal would have been a symbol of pride in one’s academic accomplishment and association with the university itself. By studying university archives, student registers, and the biographies of notable alumni, we can better understand the place of this medal in the history of Dutch academia. The social function of art objects like this can only truly be understood through archival research.