Onenigheid met paus Paulus III en Hendrik II, koning van Frankrijk, rekenpenning van de raad van Financiën, ter ere van Karel V, Duits keizer 1547

This anonymous reckoning penny was made to honor Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. The coin embodies the discord between Pope Paul III and King Henry II of France, with iconography that reveals deep political and religious tensions. Look closely, and you will see the recurring motif of opposing forces. The double-headed eagle of the Holy Roman Empire is juxtaposed against symbols of France and papal authority. This echoes ancient Roman depictions of Janus, the two-faced god, embodying conflict and duality. The eagle, often a symbol of power and divinity, is here caught in a perpetual struggle. From the Roman Empire to heraldic emblems of European royalty, the eagle has consistently represented dominion, yet its appearance here, locked in conflict, reveals an anxiety about power and stability. Observe how this emblem engages our collective memory and reflects our subconscious fears of disunity, resonating as powerfully today as it did centuries ago. Thus, the reckoning penny is not merely currency; it is a potent symbol of enduring human struggles, illustrating how historical symbols retain their power, evolving through time yet forever rooted in our shared cultural consciousness.