Twintigjarige bestand van Regensburg tussen Frankrijk, de Keizer, Spanje en de Nederlanden 1699 - 1703

Curator: So, what catches your eye immediately about this piece? Editor: Well, besides its lovely coppery glow, there's something… unsettling about it, almost heavy with history. The imagery seems intensely symbolic. Is that King Louis? Curator: Indeed it is. What we're observing is an engraving in bronze by Jean Mauger, crafted between 1699 and 1703. Its full title, "Twintigjarige bestand van Regensburg tussen Frankrijk, de Keizer, Spanje en de Nederlanden", hints at the complex political theater it commemorates: the twenty-year truce of Regensburg involving France, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain and the Netherlands. Editor: A truce memorialized on a…coin? A peculiar flex. You've got Louis the XIV, radiating regal arrogance on one side, I presume. Then, an allegorical scene, perhaps, gracing the other? It's hard to make out details… looks like a female figure trampling something beneath her feet? Victory? Or perhaps Peace, stamping out conflict? The Baroque era really went hard on its symbolic language. Curator: You're spot-on. The reverse showcases a seated figure of Peace, with a cornucopia overflowing with bounty, a symbol of prosperity that springs from peace. She subjugates Discord. Editor: Ah, there she is. Of course, even then, political messaging on currency always seemed so self-congratulatory! Curator: Agreed! Yet look at the masterful use of line, the precise detailing achieved in metal! Notice how Louis's hair, for example, becomes an exercise in Baroque ornamentation, or the way Peace's drapery swirls to convey a sense of dynamic motion. The metal adds gravity but, the precision speaks volumes about Mauger's artistry and the sheer propagandistic ambition of the Sun King's France. Editor: I see your point. It is meticulously crafted, designed to convey power and stability, and just a dash of divine right thrown in for good measure! So, as you say, the choice of metal, the artistry… these elevate the piece beyond mere political fluff. Curator: Absolutely. This is more than just a commemorative token; it's a statement rendered in enduring material. Think of the messages embedded within it. How its textures, colors, light, shape all work together to generate layers of meaning. And in contemplating its form, maybe we glimpse not only historical context, but echoes of a king, a nation, and all things intended to last, but now softened into something quaintly archaic and surprisingly delicate. Editor: Well, that certainly sheds new light. Thanks to you, it now evokes in me a bittersweet contemplation of bygone empires.