Nieuwjaarspenning 1750 1750

Editor: So here we have a New Year’s Medal from 1750 by Johan George Holtzhey, currently residing in the Rijksmuseum. It's crafted from metal, with an engraving giving it a relief effect. It feels weighty with history. All the symbolism is quite dense. What’s your take on it? Curator: Well, for starters, aren't medals wonderful? These miniature monuments intended to encapsulate entire eras! Looking at this one, I’m struck by the allegorical language typical of the Baroque period, where symbolism spoke louder than any literal depiction. This isn’t just a "Happy New Year"; it's a grand pronouncement on the hopes for the year, loaded with imagery of virtue, prosperity and divine favour. The artistry reminds us how art could function as both propaganda and personal keepsake simultaneously, wouldn't you say? What elements particularly catch your eye? Editor: I'm intrigued by how small it is. It's easily pocketable, which seems at odds with the very serious, almost theatrical imagery it contains. Was that a common feeling at the time? Like everyday epic-ness? Curator: Precisely! These medals were distributed amongst elites as gestures of goodwill and pronouncements of political intent, and served as daily reminders, tangible whispers of the values and ambitions they represented. What lessons can we still glean from the tradition today, hmm? Editor: The connection of art to political gestures feels much more obvious to me now than it did a minute ago. Thanks! Curator: And, similarly, I will perhaps begin giving gift coins for New Year’s! Only, I wonder what images I might emblazon…