Vierhonderdjarige herdenking van het overlijden van Desiderius Erasmus te Rotterdam 1936 1936

This bronze medal was made in 1936 by Bon Ingenhousz to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of Desiderius Erasmus in Rotterdam. You know, with bronze there's a certain gravity. It’s weighty, both physically and conceptually. Look at the profile of Erasmus; it’s not just a flat image. Ingenhousz has worked the metal to give depth and texture to the face. It feels like you could almost reach out and touch the contours of his nose or the folds of his cap. The light catches on the raised surfaces, creating subtle shadows that animate the portrait. There's a somberness to the piece; the color is dark, and the details are finely rendered, giving it a serious, almost reverent quality. In a way, it feels like a dialogue with earlier portrait medals, maybe even some ancient Roman coins. It’s as if Ingenhousz is participating in a long conversation about how we remember and honor important figures. It makes you think about how artists continually revisit and reimagine the past.