Beloningspenning voor het neerslaan van het aansprekersoproer in Amsterdam 1696 (groot model) 1696

This large model reward medal commemorating the suppression of the aansprekersoproer in Amsterdam in 1696 was crafted by Reynier Arondeaux. On one side, we see Neptune, god of the seas, trident in hand, atop a chariot pulled by seahorses, a symbol of dominion over the tumultuous waves. Consider how Neptune, or Poseidon as the Greeks knew him, has appeared across millennia. From ancient mosaics to Renaissance fountains, he embodies the raw power of the sea, yet here, he represents the quelling of unrest, a sea brought to order. This echoes in visual traditions where rulers are depicted with maritime symbols to assert authority. The motif of the sun rising over water on the other side of the medal, can be seen as an allegory for the restoration of peace and prosperity after the storm of rebellion. We see here a non-linear progression, an ebb and flow, where symbols of power and renewal resurface, their meanings molded by the currents of history and collective memory.