Overlijden van Frederik, prins van Oranje 1837

This medal commemorating the death of Frederik, Prince of Orange, was made in the Netherlands by Johan Philip Menger, though we don’t know exactly when. The medal is made of silver, and its surface bears the crisp impression of two scenes in relief. The first shows a portrait of Frederik. On the other side, we see a female figure in mourning sitting beneath a pediment decorated with a clock. The medal was likely die-struck. This is a means of production more akin to industrial manufacturing, than it is to hand-made sculpture, and it makes the medal feel very precise and reproducible. Yet, it is also a tradition that requires great skill. The creation of the die is an act of miniature sculpture, and it is this level of detail that makes the medal such an effective commemorative object. Objects such as this one prompt us to reflect on how meaning can be embedded in material and making. It challenges the traditional separation between fine art and craft and opens new ways of understanding the past.