Beloningspenning voor Voortvarendheid en Vernuft 1917 1917

This is Pier Pander’s "Beloningspenning voor Voortvarendheid en Vernuft," which translates to "Reward Medal for Progress and Ingenuity," made in 1917. Imagine Pander, bent over, carefully chiseling away at the bronze. I love thinking about what it must have felt like to hold the medal, slowly revealing the profile of the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina and a heraldic shield on its surface. I wonder if he felt a sense of responsibility and pride creating the artwork. Each precise line, each curve of the queen’s face, thinking about how they would be perceived and received, perhaps as a symbol of national identity and achievement. You can see Pander's influence from classical sculpture in his portraiture on the medallion. There's a formality in this sort of artwork and yet, it's easy to appreciate it as a token of national appreciation and pride. And really, that's what artists do, isn't it? We respond to the world, creating something new, and hoping it resonates with others.