Overlijden van Cornelia Esther Slob, echtgenote van de medailleur Johan George Holtzhey 1776

Editor: Here we have a fascinating metal relief, a miniature piece from 1776 titled "Overlijden van Cornelia Esther Slob, echtgenote van de medailleur Johan George Holtzhey," by Johan George Holtzhey. It's…melancholy, obviously, given the subject. But what I find compelling is the combination of symbolic imagery and direct, personal inscription. How would you interpret the socio-historical importance of an artwork like this? Curator: Well, seeing this medal through a historical lens, it presents itself as both a deeply personal artifact and a window into 18th-century commemorative practices. The imagery – the kneeling figure, the funerary urn – is fairly conventional, but the Latin inscription points to something more specific. Knowing that Holtzhey was a medallist himself, how do you think his profession shapes the piece's message, its purpose? Editor: I hadn’t considered that angle directly, but now it’s obvious. As a medallist, this was probably the most permanent and professionalized expression of grief available to him, a very public display of a deeply private loss. The use of Latin, too, lends a certain weight, almost officializing his sorrow. Is there a public function implied with the use of what was a scholarly language? Curator: Precisely. The use of Latin elevates the commemoration, positioning it within a broader, almost timeless sphere of mourning and remembrance. It transcends the immediate and the personal. The political power that Holtzhey has at this time might also lend towards why Latin, since this elevated him within the societal circles of the time. Who, exactly, was he speaking to by creating something like this? Editor: It's clearly more complex than just a private memento then, something that transcends a mere intimate expression. Seeing this artwork has revealed how personal grief and societal roles intersected at that time, and I now better recognize this artefact's function.