Souvenir van de Nationale Tentoonstelling van Industriële Kunst te Brussel 1874 1874

This souvenir medal was created by A. Fisch in 1874 to commemorate the Nationale Tentoonstelling van Industriële Kunst te Brussel, or the National Exhibition of Industrial Art in Brussels. It’s a small object, just over 3 centimeters in diameter, yet its surface is densely packed with symbolic and representational details. On one side, a complex heraldic crest dominates, framed by the inscription of the exhibition’s name. The date, 1874, is emblazoned below. Turn it over, and we see a rendering of the exhibition hall. The hall is depicted through a formal arrangement of lines and shapes that emphasize symmetry and order. The medal is more than just a memento; it’s a cultural artifact that encapsulates the values of the time. Through its formal design, we can see the emphasis on industry, art, and national pride. It serves as a miniature archive of the era’s aspirations and ideologies. Its enduring quality reminds us that objects like these were not just decorative but deeply intertwined with the socio-political narratives of their time.