Stad Rotterdam 1861

Curator: Here we have a bronze medal created in 1861 by David van der Kellen, titled 'Stad Rotterdam,' currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My immediate thought is the weight of tradition—bronze evokes a sense of history, a time capsule of civic pride. Curator: Indeed. Its classical realism emphasizes stability. On one side we see Rotterdam's coat of arms, flanked by lions, under a regal crown, and inscribed with "Gemeente Rotterdam". The reverse depicts a simple yet triumphant laurel wreath. Editor: The lions feel performative, almost forced. Given the context of 1861, how do you interpret such blatant symbolism of power, especially for the 'Gemeente', or municipality? Curator: Consider the rising industrialization and urban growth of Rotterdam during this era. Such iconography projected civic stability and order. The medal may have been commissioned for officials, thus projecting the city as an emblem of progress, managed by a powerful authority. Editor: It could also represent exclusion. While prosperity boomed for some, many others faced exploitation. A shiny emblem might obscure a more complicated picture of economic inequality. The wreath, for instance, could represent reward but perhaps not equally distributed. Curator: A fair point. The medal's classical design does, perhaps unintentionally, draw from traditions where only a privileged few held power. But these pieces also functioned as tools for community recognition. Editor: It's easy to forget, looking at an object behind glass, the hands it passed through, the stories of everyday people shaped by this entity. If only these metals could whisper the truth they've held through time! Curator: Ultimately, these art pieces reveal intricate intersections. We see a complex history wrought within such art objects from which societal dynamics have been molded and subsequently communicated through ages. Editor: Looking at the past critically to create the world anew—that's a goal worth engraving, perhaps not on bronze, but on our collective consciousness.