Vrede van Munster 1699 - 1703

This silver medal commemorating the Peace of Münster was made by Jean Mauger, a French medalist active in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The medal's design is an exercise in careful allegorical balance. We see Louis XIV on one side, and the figure of Liberty on the other, complete with scales. But the material itself, silver, is perhaps the most interesting aspect of this work. Medals like this one were often given as diplomatic gifts, or made for private collections. Silver’s inherent value made these objects literally and figuratively precious. It has an appealing luster when polished and is soft enough to take a crisp impression from a die. The process of die-striking requires considerable force to impress an image into the metal. It’s a method tied to the rise of industrial production, with early factories sometimes co-opting technologies from the mint. So, next time you encounter a medal, consider the social meaning embedded in its materials and processes, and how those qualities inform its significance as both art and historical artifact.