Opening van het gebouw van de Vereeniging voor den Effectenhandel te Amsterdam 1913 1913

This bronze medal, created by Johannes Cornelis Wienecke in 1913, commemorates the opening of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange building. The medal's structure is divided into two distinct sides, each presenting a unique visual and textual composition. One side features a nude Mercury, the Roman god of commerce, poised with a caduceus, framed by laurel. The figure, rendered in high relief, projects confidence and classical virtue. The other side, conversely, displays an architectural rendering of the stock exchange building, above the inscription in Dutch of the occasion for the medal. Wienecke’s juxtaposition of classical iconography with modern architecture and the rigid formality of text engages with historical and philosophical themes related to commerce, modernity, and national identity. The high relief of the figures and architectural elements creates a tactile experience, enhancing the medal's symbolic function. The medal invites us to consider the relationship between tradition and progress, and how these are materialised through form and inscription.