Hoop op vrede in Gelderland, rekenpenning van de rekenkamer van Gelderland 1607

This is a cast bronze medal dating from around 1607, made anonymously for the Gelderland chamber of accounts in the Netherlands. It commemorates the hope for peace. Coins and medals were not simply currency. In Gelderland, in the early 17th century, they were tools of political communication and negotiation, reflecting the social and economic aspirations of the rising merchant class and the region’s political elite. Here, we see the figure of Spes, or Hope, reaching up to a branch held by God. The reverse shows the Gelderland coat of arms. The medal’s iconography blends classical and Christian imagery, reflecting the cultural synthesis of the early modern period. It captures the longing for stability and prosperity during a period of intense social and political change. To understand this piece fully, a historian might consult archival records of the Gelderland chamber, political pamphlets from the period, and emblem books. In this way we can shed light on the intersection of art, politics, and society in the early 17th century Netherlands.