Sneuvelen van kapitein-ter-zee jonkheer David Zweerts 1673

This small, silver object is a commemorative medal, likely struck soon after the death of Captain David Zweerts. Its creation involved skilled metalworking, using tools to incise the image in meticulous detail, although it is anonymous. Look closely and you can see Zweerts lying in state, with cannons and flags arranged around his body, and a crest above. The metal gives a solemn gravity to the scene, the material itself contributing to the overall symbolic weight. The process used in the making of this medal is significant. Die-striking, probably using a drop hammer, would have been needed to produce such relief in the metal. The medal’s relatively small size suggests it was meant as a personal memento, connecting the owner to an event of national importance. This medal shows how the mode of production, here the skilled work of a medalist, can imbue an object with cultural significance, transforming it into more than just a record of loss, but a symbol of social memory.