Penning op het overlijden van Willem II, 1650 1724 - 1726

This is a commemorative coin engraving likely made shortly after the death of William II in 1650. One side depicts a horse, richly adorned, prancing above a cityscape; its tail flicks like a flame. This image echoes the classical motif of the triumphal horse, a symbol of power and victory since antiquity, think of the Horses of Saint Mark in Venice, yet here, the horse is grounded, almost captive before the city. Turn the coin, and you see William's ascent into the heavens in a chariot drawn by horses, leaving behind a crowd of onlookers. This scene recalls ancient Roman apotheosis imagery, where emperors were deified after death. The chariot, a potent symbol across cultures, reappears through time; from ancient Egyptian depictions of pharaohs riding into the afterlife to Renaissance allegories of triumph. The cyclical nature of power and memory is clear, from earthly constraints to divine ascension and the potent psychological impact of loss.