's-Hertogenbosch, vroedschapspenning op de aanleg van de steenweg van 's-Hertogenbosch naar Eindhoven 1741

Curator: The first thing that strikes me is the contrast – it's almost like two little worlds, isn’t it? Such formality and then almost...a rural depiction? Editor: Absolutely! This is a medal from 1741 by Theodorus Everardus van Berckel, created to celebrate the construction of a new paved road between 's-Hertogenbosch and Eindhoven. The medal’s made of metal, likely silver, worked in relief and engraving. Curator: Yes, one side showing the town with lovely detail and little boats, life happening – then flip it over and boom! Hermes strides forth bearing gifts, or at least, holding the caduceus as if about to solve everyone's minor ailments and maybe some slightly bigger trade deals? He's practically skipping out of that horn of plenty. Editor: That's a fantastic reading! The side with Hermes is loaded with symbolism. Hermes, of course, is the god of commerce, but note that seated female figure to the right: she’s an allegory for the city of 's-Hertogenbosch, indicated by her coat of arms resting at her side. "PERFICERE URGET" proclaims the inscription around them which translates to "to accomplish urges" clearly referencing the energetic drive needed to complete this monumental infrastructure project. Curator: Infrastructure euphoria, now that's an emotion I can relate to. The little blocks he seems to be stepping over give such a charming sense of perspective too. Though that horizon line of 's-Hertogenbosch itself is strangely flat on the other side, a sort of picturesque bird's-eye squint... Editor: Indeed, the contrast is quite stark. That landscape view on the other side is dominated by text and, let's be honest, looks pretty crammed together. However, you do get that clear announcement saying Sylva Ducis – the Latin name for the city, below the neat skyline... Curator: ...Sylva Ducis! Forest of the Duke! I love how official and also utterly whimsical that sounds simultaneously, as opposed to how it looks. One would almost forget it's a pretty industrious Dutch city! I feel the weight of time simply through seeing them combined on such a miniature surface. Editor: Right? The visual weight each symbol carries – from the Roman lettering to the Dutch cityscape – offers this compressed history in your palm. These medals acted as memory keepers – to celebrate events or signal pride in community progress. Looking at this Baroque work is like holding tangible cultural memory. Curator: What a beautiful way to put it. I feel almost implicated by that upward urging of "PERFICERE URGET", as though a to-do list is etched in metal on reality itself. It's a neat reminder that even celebrations often carry work ethics in them! Editor: Precisely, perhaps that shared ambition echoes through centuries, uniting us with those people from the Forest of the Duke? It invites contemplation and awe across epochs, it speaks.