Filips IV, koning van Spanje, rekenpenning geslagen op last van de Staten van Rijssel 1630

This small coin depicting Filips IV, King of Spain, was commissioned by the States of Rijssel, and made anonymously. As a form of currency, this piece of metal embodies the intersection of politics, economics, and identity during a period of shifting European power dynamics. Coins like these served not only as a medium of exchange but also as potent symbols of sovereignty. The portrait of King Phillip and the coats of arms asserted the reign of power, while it also silently contested it. The act of Rijssel commissioning this piece speaks volumes, especially during a period marked by conflicts and negotiations between regions vying for autonomy and the centralized authority of the Spanish crown. This coin opens a portal, inviting us to contemplate the quiet acts of defiance and negotiation embedded within the everyday objects that once greased the wheels of society.