Huwelijk van Frederik, prins der Nederlanden en Louise, prinses van Pruisen te Berlijn 1825

This bronze medal, commemorating the marriage of Frederick, Prince of the Netherlands, and Louise, Princess of Prussia, was made by Jean Barthélemy Fonson. The process begins with an engraving, in which the artist would have used specialized tools to create a detailed image. The material is then cast to produce the final form. The choice of bronze is significant. It's durable, allowing the medal to survive handling, and its metallic sheen conveys prestige. The process of die-striking and casting this metal embodies the intersection of artistic skill and industrial production, and it speaks to the efficiency of capitalist modes of production, in which the artistic creation can be replicated on a grand scale. Consider, too, the number of hands involved in this object's creation, from the mining of the metals, to the engraver, to the factory workers who struck the final form. Even an object as seemingly simple as this reveals a complex network of labor and production. It challenges our definition of art, and reminds us of the many forms of creativity and knowledge that contribute to a finished work.