Vijfentwintigjarig huwelijk van Koningin Wilhelmina en Prins Hendrik 1926 1926

This bronze medal, crafted by Jacob Jan van Goor in 1926, commemorates the silver wedding anniversary of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Hendrik. The profiles of Wilhelmina and Hendrik are juxtaposed on one side; the other depicts a ship sailing forth. The ship, a timeless symbol of exploration and progress, carries rich symbolic weight. Think of the Ship of State, a metaphor reaching back to Plato, representing the body politic navigating the seas of governance. This maritime motif, however, is not confined to political allegory. From ancient Egyptian funerary boats to Viking longships, the vessel is a vessel of souls as much as cargo. Here, the ship's journey reflects the voyage of marriage, a shared destiny embarked upon together. The ebb and flow, the cycles, of human experience: birth, death, marriage, and rebirth. It appears as if the ship of state is a motif that carries a cultural memory, constantly reappearing and being reinterpreted through time.