Geboorte van Balthasar Karel, eerste zoon van Philips IV, penning geslagen op last van de raad van Kamerijk 1629

This silver medal commemorating the birth of Balthasar Charles, first son of Philip IV of Spain, was commissioned in 1629 by the council of the city of Cambrai, today in northern France. The medal gives us insight into the politics of imagery. Cambrai was then part of the Spanish Netherlands. Its council’s decision to mint the medal was thus an act of political allegiance to the Spanish crown. The portrait of Philip IV on the medal is rendered in a classical style which communicates power and authority, while the inscription on the reverse side of the medal celebrates Balthasar Charles as the firstborn son, securing the continuation of the royal line. As art historians, we can consult archival records from the city of Cambrai to further illuminate the political context in which this medal was produced and consumed. The meaning of this work is contingent on this political context, but it also actively constructs and reinforces that political reality.