Vrede van Hubertusburg 1763

Curator: Here at the Rijksmuseum, we're looking at a baroque metal sculpture created in 1763 by Johan George Holtzhey. It's titled "Vrede van Hubertusburg," or "Peace of Hubertusburg." Editor: Immediately striking. A bit cold in its metallic stillness, but with a beautifully rendered classical scene; though the flat perspective and shallow depth are a bit perplexing at first glance. Curator: Indeed, let's dive into its historical and symbolic layers. This medal commemorates the Treaty of Hubertusburg, which concluded the Seven Years' War. Notice the allegorical figures… Editor: Three female figures flanking a male figure at left – strength, wisdom, maybe justice – being presented to some higher power through what appears to be the open door to a temple. I read the implied meanings and their placement and stance as quite conventional. Curator: Precisely, and they all convey the cultural longing for peace in Europe after a brutal conflict. Consider how classical motifs underscore a desire for renewed order, prosperity, and enlightened rule. The figures point toward the figure in the portico as if indicating where those needs can be addressed. Editor: From a compositional point, however, the arrangement seems to flatten depth – look at how close those temple figures are. The lines of sight create a symbolic plane rather than an attempt at spatial illusion. Also, I’m distracted by the starkness of the flat text taking up half the coin. What does it say? Curator: That's Latin, listing the nations reconciled in the treaty: Russia, Prussia, England, Austria, and Saxony. Placing this text on equal visual footing with the classical scene suggests an attempt to document as well as to idealize the historical moment. Editor: The stark typography provides an important point of focus: the brutal reality of international diplomacy. But do you think the artistic representation on the left conflicts or integrates with the information offered on the right? The overall balance, the relationship of text to symbol, how are they reconciled on this surface? Curator: I see them more in complement with one another, capturing different, equally valid dimensions of what peace truly means and signifies for all the actors on the world stage. It speaks to the moment and the grand historical narrative it helped to create. Editor: Fascinating—the intersection of stark data and symbolic yearning within one object creates something new: a historical capsule for posterity. I suppose Holtzhey really did make history that day.