Slag bij de Doggersbank 1781 1781

This is a silver medal, made by Johan George Holtzhey in 1781. It commemorates the Battle of Dogger Bank, a naval battle between the British and Dutch during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War. The medal offers insight into the politics of the time. It depicts a female figure representing Dutch naval power, standing defiantly against a British lion. This imagery is loaded, speaking to the complicated relationship between the two nations, and the Dutch desire to maintain their maritime strength. The Latin inscriptions, celebrating coerced justice and immortal glory, highlight the medal's propagandistic function, aiming to instill pride and patriotism in the Dutch population. What I find compelling is how the medal, a small object, encapsulates a much larger narrative of national identity and power struggles. It is a reminder of how art, even in its most functional forms, can be a potent tool for shaping collective memory and national identity.