Overlijden van Maria II van Engeland 1695

This medal commemorating the death of Mary II of England was made by F. de Winter. These kinds of objects are revealing because of the way they show the institutions of monarchy using imagery to control their legacies. The front of the coin portrays the queen in profile, a common motif in royal portraiture dating back to antiquity. On the reverse, we see symbolic figures mourning the queen beneath a draped canopy bearing the royal arms. Below, an inscription in Latin offers a comment on the political implications of the event. These symbols must be decoded by the historian. In order to do that, one must consider the social and political circumstances in which the artwork was made. We might look at primary sources from the time, such as newspaper articles, pamphlets, and personal letters, to help us better understand the social and political implications of this royal death and its representation in visual media.