Sluiten van de vrede met Engeland en inname van Naarden door Willem III 1674

Curator: This piece is a 1674 engraving, "Sluiten van de vrede met Engeland en inname van Naarden door Willem III" by Christoffel Adolphi, struck in bronze. Editor: It has a rather somber, ceremonial feel to it. The cool tones and classical composition give it an air of austere importance, almost like a historical document pressed into a coin. Curator: Indeed, this is a medal commemorating the peace with England and the capture of Naarden by William III. These types of commemorative objects were produced to circulate and reinforce particular narratives amongst the populace. Bronze itself was carefully selected to show its resistance through the passage of time, a material carrier of Dutch history and resilience. Editor: Structurally, the obverse displays Willem III triumphantly on horseback. The controlled, curving lines, particularly in the horse's musculature, indicate baroque sensibilities. He's flanked by inscriptions. Tell me, do they amplify the message conveyed by the imagery? Curator: Absolutely. Note the deliberate crafting of the slogans and text—they emphasize William III as a bringer of both war and peace. Also note the depiction of the military units along the bottom of the obverse: They were very much reliant on material realities of production and labor. Bronze was a prized metal in this age, and the medal literally puts on display not only the Dutch material wealth but also technological prowess. Editor: On the reverse, we see a dove holding an olive branch over a placid seascape. This image echoes with earlier examples from antiquity; it is clearly referencing existing codes. Its semantic richness reinforces the desired meaning of 'peace' with pre-existing semiotic material. Curator: And it shows how statecraft under William of Orange was directly intertwined with economic realities. The Dutch Republic at this point relied on global networks of trade, resources extracted via colonial domination and mercantile acumen. A simple metal token carries within it an archive of complex political, social, and economic interactions. Editor: An elegant reduction of a turbulent time into a small, graspable, yet complex artistic statement. Curator: A reflection on both historical and artistic value encoded and shaped by power.