Twintig kreuzer, noodmunt uit Mantua, geslagen door generaal Gorkowski ter ere van Ferdinand I, keizer van Oostenrijk, tijdens het beleg 1848

This silver coin, struck in Mantua during a siege, bears the profile of Ferdinand I, Emperor of Austria. On its reverse, we find the double-headed eagle, a powerful emblem extending back to antiquity, resonating through the Roman Empire and into the heraldry of numerous European dynasties. The eagle, initially a symbol of imperial power and victory, evolves through time. Consider its appearance on Roman standards versus its adoption by the Holy Roman Empire. Here, the double-headed eagle suggests a dual authority, a mirroring of power that echoes the complexities of empire itself. Such symbols are not static; their meanings shift and accrue layers of significance across generations. The urgency and desperation are palpable in the roughly stamped metal, a potent reminder of how symbols are imbued with new meaning through psychological and historical circumstance. The eagle, a creature of the sky, here becomes grounded in the harsh realities of siege. It reminds us that images evolve, adapt, and resurface, laden with the weight of history.