Prijspenning, verleend aan Bart van Hove in 1868 door de Vereeniging ter bevordering van fabriek en handwerknijverheid in Nederland, afdeling 's Gravenhage met bijbehorende doos 1868

Editor: Here we have a prize medal awarded to Bart van Hove in 1868. It's made of metal, and the neoclassical style gives it such a formal, almost stern feeling. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: What interests me here is thinking about the relationship between industrial progress and artistic recognition. This medal represents an official acknowledgment of craft, right? How does that tie into broader socio-economic trends of the 19th century? Editor: I suppose it shows the importance of industry at the time, the emerging working class perhaps? The medal itself celebrates someone in that class. Curator: Exactly! Consider who gets to define "progress." How did the burgeoning industrial class challenge or reinforce existing hierarchies? The medal might portray progress, but for whom was it actually progress? What about those displaced by industrialisation? The female figure on the medal: What does it mean? How can feminist theory shed light? Editor: Interesting! I never really thought about that. So it's about looking beyond the surface representation to understand the socio-political landscape, and question who benefitted from this concept of 'progress'. Curator: Precisely. Also, why Neoclassicism? Whose standards and ideals are evoked by this artistic movement? The medal becomes a focal point to examine the tensions, the power dynamics embedded in seemingly celebratory objects. Editor: That makes me see this piece, and others like it, in a totally different way now. Thank you. Curator: Absolutely, challenging dominant narratives is what it's all about. There is so much to explore here.