Leonard Van der Noot, magistraat van de schatkist van Brussel en vijfendertigste indendant van de vaart van Brussel 1649

Curator: What a peculiar pair of discs! They give me a rather medieval-meets-futuristic vibe, like currency from a time-traveling monarchy. Editor: Indeed! What you're observing is a bronze medal created in 1649, commemorating Leonard Van der Noot. He held significant positions as magistrate of the treasury in Brussels and superintendent of the Brussels canal. It's history captured in metal. Curator: A medal, huh? I see the swirling script around the edges – Latin, I presume? – and the embossed images look pretty fascinating! It feels like holding a mini-epic saga. What does the imagery tell us? Editor: On one side we see a depiction of the city, likely Brussels, emphasizing Van der Noot's role in its infrastructure, specifically the canal system. The other side displays heraldic symbols, asserting his noble lineage and authority. Think of this as a carefully constructed PR piece for the era. Curator: Ah, so it's propaganda – but fancy propaganda! Look at those crests, the detailed city skyline...even those little ducks! The execution is fascinating. Were these medals common practice back then? Editor: They were! Medals like this served multiple functions. Beyond honoring individuals, they visually communicated power, legacy, and civic pride. In the Baroque era, visual representation played a powerful role in solidifying social structures and power. It speaks to the politics of imagery then. Curator: Politics as visual language, beautifully archaic. I'm thinking about how art is employed today. From political stickers to sophisticated social media campaigns, art – as these coins suggest – retains a strange power. Editor: Exactly. The value of this work resides not only in the materials but as evidence of societal power dynamics and visual rhetoric through art, where leaders shape public opinion and reinforce hierarchies, and how we interpret those messages now. Curator: A small but loaded little object, reflecting a wider socio-political context, like many of art objects through history! I'm off to analyze a painting for some similar purpose next, how interesting.