Inhuldiging van Willem V, prins van Oranje-Nassau, als erfelijk stadhouder van Utrecht, penning geschonken aan de manschappen van de compagnie "'t Fortuin" 1766

This silver medal by Hendrik Meijer commemorates William V’s inauguration in Utrecht. On one side, four allegorical female figures stand in classical robes, likely representing the unity of the Dutch provinces. One holds a staff with a hat, a symbol of freedom and revolution, echoing motifs from ancient Rome. These figures, with their serene expressions and flowing garments, recall the classical ideals of harmony and civic virtue. Yet, even in this image of unity, the seeds of discord are sown. The staff surmounted by a hat, a symbol adopted during periods of upheaval, resurfaces throughout history, from antiquity to the French Revolution, each time signifying a struggle for liberty, a collective yearning for change etched into the subconscious. Notice how the figures’ linked hands convey a sense of solidarity, yet the very need to emphasize unity suggests an underlying fragility. This medal, intended to celebrate harmony, hints at the ever-present tensions that drive historical change. A potent reminder of how symbols evolve, carrying echoes of past struggles into the present.