Overlijden van Johan Rudolf Thorbecke te 's-Gravenhage 1872

This is a commemorative silver medal depicting Johan Rudolf Thorbecke, created by Moses de Vries. Made in the Netherlands, it memorializes a towering figure in Dutch political history. Thorbecke was the architect of the 1848 Dutch constitution, a document that fundamentally reshaped the country's political landscape by introducing parliamentary democracy. The profile, rendered in meticulous detail, presents Thorbecke as a figure of intellectual authority, while the use of silver lends the piece a sense of enduring value and importance. Such commemorative medals were often commissioned by institutions or political groups to celebrate significant events or figures. The medal reflects the values of the Dutch liberal movement. Understanding the medal's significance requires us to look into the social and political history of the Netherlands. By consulting archives, political pamphlets, and institutional records, historians can contextualize such artwork.