Bestraffing van de opstandelingen in de Nederlanden door Filips II, koning van Spanje, rekenpenning van de rekenkamer van Vlaanderen te Rijssel 1570

This is a bronze rekenpenning, or reckoning penny, made by an anonymous artist for the chamber of Flanders in Lille. The coin presents a compelling study in symbolic power through its structural design. The circular form, though physically small, creates a bounded space within which narratives of authority and control are rendered. One side features a blank field enclosed by assertive lettering, suggesting a void ready to be inscribed with royal authority. Opposite, the intricate heraldic emblem, framed by another inscription, asserts the dominance of Philip II over the rebellious territories. The coin’s formal composition—the weight of the inscriptions, the stark division between the empty field and the dense emblem—reveals how power is both asserted and mediated. The very act of striking this coin becomes a semiotic gesture, a way of encoding and disseminating a political message. This is not just currency, it is a portable declaration of power, intended to circulate and embed a specific narrative within the collective consciousness.