Overgave van het Saksische leger aan Frederik II van Pruisen bij Pirna 1756

Curator: What an interesting piece. This medal, dating from 1756, commemorates the surrender of the Saxon army to Frederick II of Prussia at Pirna. It's currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It feels incredibly formal and a bit…cold, even for a military scene. The relief work looks quite precise, but the overall effect is of calculated power, not human drama. What material is it? Curator: It is metal. Likely silver, given its sheen and the time period, though further analysis would be needed for confirmation. Consider how the choice of material reinforces its purpose – medals, typically of precious metals, were designed as permanent testaments to significant events. Editor: Precisely. And this is a top-down, totalizing kind of power, isn't it? The scene almost feels like a factory-line submission, less about courageous opponents surrendering and more about industrializing domination, freezing that single point of surrender forever. This raises a point about the labour and resources pumped into immortalising a single act, and perhaps, Frederick's obsession with consolidating imagery, Curator: That’s an interesting point. There is definitely a calculated sense to it. We see Frederick celebrated on the one side. Turn it over, and we have that very staged submission – complete with allegorical figures overseeing the event. It very pointedly promotes Prussian strength, with Johan George Holtzhey carefully aligning himself to the socio-political objectives. Editor: And the repetitive, almost stamped figures of the surrendering army reinforce this idea. The uniformity suggests an almost dehumanized submission, a mass-produced subjugation. Curator: Exactly. A commentary on craftsmanship and ideology; these medals also had an impact on everyday citizens as they would carry and handle this symbol, which in turn reinforced power relations within society. The tactile, replicable object serves as a potent form of propaganda. Editor: Yes. I think my lasting impression of it is the complete management of narrative – using the laborious crafting of metal to control and disseminate a very specific message. Curator: Agreed. It reveals much about the era's approach to both commemorating and manipulating historical events.