Vrede van de Pyreneeën tussen Frankrijk en Spanje 1660

Curator: Looking at this, I get a feeling of… well, almost hushed importance. Like a secret pact witnessed by gods. Editor: Precisely the sort of mood you want to convey for something commemorating a monumental peace agreement! This baroque-style medal, made from bronze and other metals using a relief printing technique, marks the Peace of the Pyrenees in 1660, between France and Spain. It’s anonymous, but wonderfully crafted and housed right here at the Rijksmuseum. Curator: Anonymous. Hmm, makes it all the more… collective, somehow. It isn’t about the ego of an artist; it’s about this collective desire for lasting peace rendered tangible. The allegorical figures are great. Notice the balance between them; there’s a symmetry here that implies a kind of equilibrium finally being reached. Editor: Yes, it's consciously designed to project that sense of balance, strength and hope. You have these two figures on one side exchanging gifts to represent reconciliation and renewal while the inscription wraps around the edges to emphasize a celebration of liberation. What details jump out to you? Curator: That castle-like design on the one side, it is simple and feels monumental despite its modest size, but... there are other more explicit images about unity, for example. And the laurel wreaths on the other… classic symbolism. Even the wear of the bronze itself adds a layer of timelessness, wouldn’t you say? It connects us directly to that moment in history. I almost feel as though I can touch it, close my eyes and imagine being at the celebration of the Pyrenees. Editor: Absolutely. Bronze has this grounding quality to it, it lasts, feels serious in ways other materials don’t, which certainly serves its commemorative role, too. So it's an image aimed at public dissemination for people, and institutions interested in celebrating peace agreements as crucial to establishing national strength and European order. Curator: Well, thinking about today, maybe what's really being portrayed here is more of an ideal of peace… something eternally strived for but never perfectly attained. But as an artistic object, that’s what gives it its resonance still. Editor: An "eternal" striving toward balance through representation – yes, beautifully put. I'd say its resonance also reminds us of the real complexities of any peace accord's lasting legacy.