Driehonderdjarige herdenking van het overlijden van Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft 1947 1947

This commemorative coin was made in 1947 by Joop Hekman. The mark making is really intricate, everything is in relief which must have taken a lot of time and care, and it’s all in this rich brown color like old pennies. The image of Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft stares back at you. You can almost feel the weight of this coin in your hand and the cool touch of the metal. Look closely, and you can see the texture, the way the light catches on the raised surfaces. Think about the pressure needed to make such crisp lines, especially around that ruff collar, so detailed and precise. It's hard to make out if that line on the left side of his face is a shadow or the artist's tool slipping while carving. It feels like a tribute, not just to a person, but to the past itself. I’m thinking of other artists who’ve worked with similar palettes, like Rembrandt or even those old masters of the Dutch Golden Age. It makes you think about history and how we choose to remember people, and how an artist, even on a tiny coin, can keep a memory alive.