Filips II en Isabella, koning en koningin van Spanje 1570

Here in the Rijksmuseum is a bronze coin depicting Filips II and Isabella, King and Queen of Spain, made anonymously. The coin, with its simple circular form, is divided into two distinct fields, each dominated by a profile portrait. The use of profile, a convention harking back to ancient coinage, lends a sense of formality and authority. The material's texture and the bas-relief technique invite a tactile interaction, suggesting the value not just of currency, but of rulership. The inscriptions form a semiotic ring, framing and thus reinforcing the central images of power. Consider how this coin destabilizes traditional portraiture by flattening the individuals into types. There's a tension between the desire to represent individual likeness and the structural demands of coinage. Does this tension underscore a deeper philosophical question about identity versus representation?