Tentoonstelling van Nijverheid te Brussel 1830

This small bronze medal was designed by Joseph-Pierre Braemt to commemorate the Industry Exhibition in Brussels. The medal’s material and its method of production are as crucial as its imagery. Bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, evokes strength and permanence. The medal was likely made using a die-striking process, where the design is engraved into steel dies and then pressed onto the metal blank. This process, born of industrialisation, allowed for the mass production of identical objects, yet still required skilled craftsmanship. The very act of creating this medal serves as a record of a specific moment in time, mirroring the larger forces of labor, politics, and consumption that shaped the world it was created in. Commemorative medals like this were often distributed to attendees or participants, as a gesture of recognition. By understanding its material, making, and context, we can appreciate its social significance, and its historical importance.