Penning op strijdbaarheid van de Amsterdamse burgerij, ca. 1650 (?) 17th century

This medal commemorating the combativeness of the Amsterdam citizenry was likely produced around 1650. The anonymous artist has struck a medal that speaks to the identity and the agency of the Amsterdam citizenry. On one side we see the personification of Amsterdam, armed and standing over a lion. The other side carries an inscription that praises the courage and vigilance of Amsterdam's citizens, emphasizing their steadfastness in defending their freedom day and night. This imagery and language invokes the political and social structures of the Dutch Republic at the time. Amsterdam had become a major center of trade, and its citizens were proud of their civic identity and their role in the economic and political life of the Netherlands. To fully understand the medal, we need to delve deeper into the historical archives, exploring city records, pamphlets, and other visual materials. This offers a richer understanding of how people conceived their place in society. Art, after all, is not made in a vacuum, but is contingent on social and institutional contexts.