Rekenpenning voor Namen op naam van Maximiliaan Emanuel van Beieren 1712 1712

Curator: Let's spend a moment with this intriguing "Rekenpenning voor Namen op naam van Maximiliaan Emanuel van Beieren 1712," a counting penny struck in 1712 by G. Backer. What's your immediate impression? Editor: My eyes keep wandering over it, I'm reminded of a well-worn talisman; small enough to nestle in your palm. There is something captivating about the sense of history. Curator: Absolutely, and consider this: coins weren't just money then, they were propaganda. This Baroque medal celebrates Maximilian Emanuel of Bavaria. We have a portrait of a regal person on the one side, and carefully aligned letters spelling out...well, propaganda on the other. Editor: The effigy is quite powerful for something so diminutive. I'm drawn to that curly wig - a status symbol but also a cage? His identity is encased in societal expectations, as he literally carries his power upon his head. The text reads very formal; as if ordered to list all details about its purpose. Curator: Exactly! Baroque art often uses excessive ornamentation to display power. Every element, from the ornate lettering to the subject’s likeness, signifies wealth, status and legacy. But, that density of visual information...is there also a story here beyond vanity and power? Editor: I believe there is a vulnerability exposed here. The coin wants to claim permanence, doesn’t it? To be held and to outlast the person that is on it. But that constant handling means it’s subject to wear, a sort of symbolic stripping of power that makes you consider your own mortality, right? Curator: Yes! Despite the proclamations of importance, this simple object quietly concedes to entropy, a whispered hum of human existence and a dash of humble pie. Editor: That's wonderful. In something created to represent wealth and stature, we see so much more of being alive and connected to generations beyond just rulers or power figures. Curator: Exactly! A small object speaks volumes, once you decode its language.