Vertrek van Karel van Oostenrijk naar Spanje 1700

Editor: This is a metal relief sculpture from 1700, titled "Departure of Charles of Austria to Spain." It seems to commemorate a historical event, and one side shows a profile portrait while the other shows figures in action. It feels… formal and a little austere. What do you make of it? Curator: Indeed. Consider this not just as an object, but as a symbolic artifact imbued with cultural memory. Note the choice of metal—a lasting material intended to memorialize. The departure, visualized in relief, suggests not just a physical leaving, but a turning point in history. The figures, though small, are rendered with the solemnity one expects from Baroque depictions of power. Doesn't the presence of a ruler's image, juxtaposed with a scene of departure, hint at a kind of cultural script being enacted? Editor: A cultural script? How so? Curator: It speaks to the preordained nature of power and succession. This coin subtly yet powerfully reinforces Charles's destiny and the inevitability of his rule. Look closely—the symbolic language, down to the Latin inscription, underscores a specific narrative being constructed and communicated. What feelings arise when you think of it as cultural propaganda? Editor: It makes it seem more calculated, less celebratory. Like it's trying to cement a particular view of history in people's minds. The symbols become almost like instructions on how to remember the event. Curator: Precisely. It makes one wonder, doesn't it, about the events left unsaid, the narratives excluded from this metallic memory. Editor: Definitely something to keep in mind next time I look at commemorative art. Thanks!