Herstel van Willem V als erfstadhouder 1787

Editor: This intriguing medal, "Herstel van Willem V als erfstadhouder," created in 1787 by an anonymous artist, features relief work on both sides. One side shows what seem to be the profiles of William V and his wife. The overall effect is quite austere, even a bit melancholic. What can you tell me about this piece? Curator: It’s fascinating how medals, often intended as celebratory objects, can evoke a sense of melancholy, isn’t it? This medal commemorates the restoration of William V, but consider what symbols are chosen: a profile, stoic and reserved; and on the reverse, an eagle, a classical symbol of power, yes, but also perhaps of watchful vigilance over a cityscape, bringing ‘Felicitas Temporum,’ a return to happy times, inscribed above it. But for whom were those times happy? Editor: I suppose not everyone benefited equally. It sounds like the artist is less concerned with representing factual history and more interested in presenting a very particular point of view. How can we even begin to unpack all that? Curator: Precisely! Think about who commissioned the medal, who was meant to possess it, who would handle it, literally, as an object carrying so much symbolic weight. A medal like this is a form of potent propaganda and social memory, a way of shaping and reinforcing specific ideas about leadership, order, and the desired future, very carefully rendered for future viewing. Is this vision actually fulfilled by History, or are other views valid, perhaps conflicting, in later memories of the same events? Editor: So, by understanding the symbols used, and even those conspicuously absent, we gain insight into the values of a specific group at a pivotal moment in history. Curator: Precisely! And, it offers an invitation to consider how we, even now, are constantly surrounded by—and, perhaps unwittingly, participate in—similar acts of symbolic construction and cultural messaging. Editor: I’ll never look at a coin the same way again. Thank you!