Begin van de vredesonderhandelingen, rekenpenning geslagen op last van de koninklijke schatkamer, ter ere van Lodewijk XIV, koning van Frankrijk 1711

This silver medal, commemorating the beginning of peace negotiations under Louis XIV, was created by Thomas Bernard. Coins like this were struck in a highly codified way. A die, made of hardened steel, would have been engraved with the design. This would then have been used to impress the image onto the metal of the coin itself. This particular coin makes the method of its making a literal part of its message: on its reverse, we see figures working at an anvil, hammering out metal. The inscription above reads "Restituere Aequo Metallo", which translates to "to restore with just metal". Coins were among the first forms of portable, reproducible imagery, and they were put to use as propaganda. So while this medal may seem like a celebration of craft, it is really an exercise of power. It reminds us that even apparently humble objects can be enlisted to promote a ruler's ambitions. It makes us aware of the subtle entanglement of art, labor, and social life.