Vijftigjarig bestaan van de Koninklijke Akademie ter Bevordering der Goede Kunsten van Schilder-, Beeldhouw- en Bouwkunde te Gent, ter ere van Willem I, koning der Nederlanden 1820

This medal was created by Joseph-Pierre Braemt to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. The medal features Willem I, King of the Netherlands at the time, highlighting the close relationship between artistic institutions and political power. The image creates meaning through visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations. The Academy in Ghent, like other European art academies, played a crucial role in shaping artistic taste, providing training, and exhibiting art. This medal underscores the significance of royal patronage in supporting and promoting the arts. It also serves as a form of propaganda, associating the Dutch monarchy with cultural achievement. To understand this artwork better, research into the archives of the Royal Academy in Ghent could reveal details about its curriculum, its relationship with the monarchy, and its role in the broader cultural landscape of Belgium in the early 19th century. Only through such investigations can we understand the social life of art.