Koninklijke Academie van Wetenschappen en Letteren te Brussel 1816

This is a silver medal, likely from the early 19th century, created by Joseph-Pierre Braemt for the Koninklijke Academie in Brussels. It's an object made by striking, a forceful imprinting of a design into a metal blank. The hardness of the metal, and the incredible pressure required, speaks to industrial processes of the time. These are not traditional art materials or processes, but rather taken from the everyday world of currency and manufacturing. Look closely, and you can see the fine detail achieved by the die: the crisp lettering, the laurel wreath, and the portrait of Willem 1. This kind of precision spoke to Belgium's aspirations as a modern nation-state. It also represents a kind of distributed authorship. Braemt was responsible for the medal’s design, but the labor was necessarily shared with technicians and factory workers. When we consider the material, the making, and the social context of the medal, we gain a richer understanding of its meaning, challenging the traditional distinctions between fine art, craft and industrial production.