Allegorische voorstelling, rekenpenning van de raad van Financiën 1590

This is an allegorical reckoning penny of the council of Finance, made by an anonymous artist. Though we don't know the date it was made we can still surmise, considering the function of the artwork, that it was made during a time when there was enough social stability for a council to be formed to manage finances. The function of this penny was to allow council members to keep track of finances. We see on the front face what appears to be an alter, and on the reverse a crest. The crest can be interpreted as a marker of identity, speaking to the lineage and cultural ties that were important to the council. In this way, the penny straddles the line between the personal and the political. It is a reminder of how the bureaucratic and the financial were once interwoven with personal identity and status. What stories could this penny tell if it could speak?