Inhuldiging van Francois-Hercule, hertog van Anjou als hertog van Brabant te Antwerpen 1582

Curator: Here we have a piece entitled "Inhuldiging van Francois-Hercule, hertog van Anjou als hertog van Brabant te Antwerpen", made in 1582 by an anonymous artist. It’s currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Well, just at first glance, it appears very tactile. You can practically feel the cool metal and worn texture. It has a somewhat solemn air, befitting such a momentous occasion, even in miniature. Curator: Exactly. This engraving on metal, functioning as a coin or medal, depicts the inauguration of François-Hercule as Duke of Brabant. It’s rife with political and social implications, really reflecting the power struggles of the time. Editor: The two shields crowned by fleur-de-lis, suggesting French influence, underscore those very struggles. They point to broader narratives about the imposition of identity, and I suppose gender dynamics would also play into his power, given the role of a duke then. How interesting! Curator: Indeed, Brabant was a key territory. This imagery would've served as propaganda, designed to legitimize Anjou's rule. Coins like these, and similar images circulating through other media, acted as powerful public statements in that period. Editor: This coin would then be circulating amongst the public. It’s fascinating to consider how a society engages with that level of top-down propaganda in contrast to their daily realities, particularly in light of feminist readings that interrogate notions of imposed patriarchal control. I find the sea and the shining sun on the other side promising, however faint and worn, and that might echo the hopes invested in him to begin with. Curator: I think that that bright shining sea encapsulates everything we try to understand about political authority, and also image making at the time. We look to these surviving engravings on metal to better grasp historical processes of institution-building that are often invisible otherwise. Editor: For me, analyzing the material realities of propaganda gives insight into more abstract concerns of identity, intersectionality, and power itself, which are very real, very now problems. Curator: Absolutely. In effect, both our discussions highlight the ever-shifting layers of meaning that we now find encoded in objects like this one.