Vrede van Rijswijk 1697

Reynier Arondeaux crafted this silver medal, Vrede van Rijswijk, commemorating the Peace of Rijswijk. Note the symbolic figures: one standing, extinguishing flames on an altar, a caduceus staff in the background, a closed temple, and one seated, holding a spear, a helmet, and an open temple. These are not mere decorations; they are potent symbols. The extinguished flame, a motif extending back to ancient Roman depictions of Pax, signifies the cessation of conflict. Similarly, the closed temple evokes Janus, the two-faced god of beginnings and endings, whose temple doors were shut in times of peace. But consider the caduceus. Asclepius's rod of intertwined snakes, a symbol of healing and balance, juxtaposes themes of peace and commerce in the context of this medal. Notice, on the reverse, the open temple, an almost identical structure. Here, we see the cyclical nature of history itself, in which symbols reappear. The caduceus reminds us that even amidst peace, the seeds of future conflict or healing may already be sown, a potent reminder of the ebb and flow of human affairs.