Vervolging van de protestanten in Frankrijk 1685

Curator: At first glance, this little thing looks like a simple coin, but looking closer... well, it gives me chills. There's such intensity crammed onto it. Editor: This metal relief is an engraving from 1685, crafted by Jan (I) Smeltzing. It's titled "Vervolging van de protestanten in Frankrijk," which translates to "Persecution of the Protestants in France." It commemorates a dark chapter of history. Curator: The imagery on the front! You see this bishop on horseback, all power and aggression, sword raised against a fleeing figure, and what looks like the Holy Spirit fluttering away. It's so dramatic for such a small space. Editor: Precisely! The medal’s imagery invokes the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, a seismic event when Louis XIV revoked religious freedoms for French Protestants, known as Huguenots. It triggered mass exodus and brutal oppression. Curator: That helps me to understand this scene better, that feeling of oppression really emanates, I suppose, I get the impression that it attempts to warn us from this bishop riding roughshod and that feeling of history, its heavy air sitting right here beside me. I notice that there's a building with sunlight streaming down upon it! What's that, a lighthouse perhaps? Editor: Good eye! The other side depicts the burning church and, around it, we read *Aquillis Leve Texit Opus Non*, meaning something along the lines of, "He weaves the light for those afflicted". Light through a web or fan. The medal as a whole is designed as both a denunciation and a consolation. Curator: To think that such potent messages were struck onto these small, portable objects. Talk about speaking truth to power! It gives me so much more context to why the scenes seemed so aggressive and intense before. This isn't about celebrating power but critiquing and calling for its downfall! Editor: It’s a potent example of art serving as historical commentary and a vehicle for political resistance. Imagine the impact of circulating such an image during a time of religious upheaval! Curator: It’s so easy to get lost in the big, grand canvases, but pieces like this demonstrate the monumental impact of art, no matter the scale. Every scratch of the metal, a voice against the crowd. Editor: Indeed, it is an urgent testament that embodies the era, reminding us that art doesn’t just reflect history; it actively participates in shaping it.