Vrede van Rastatt 1714

This silver medal, made by Georg Wilhelm Vestner, commemorates the Peace of Rastatt. It is a small object, yet dense with meaning, and it offers insight into the history of both craft and diplomacy. Struck from a die, the medal’s creation involved skilled metalworkers, trained in the precise and demanding work of engraving and minting. Consider how the inherent qualities of the silver – its cool sheen and malleability – lend themselves to capturing fine details, like the allegorical figure of Constancy on one side, and the depiction of Rastatt on the other. But the real significance lies in the medal’s purpose: to celebrate a political agreement. Each strike represents not only a technical process, but also a complex web of social and political negotiations. It encourages us to reflect on the relationship between artistic production and wider social issues.