Stichting van de Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten te Brussel, ter ere van Willem I Frederik, koning der Nederlanden 1817

This silver medal was created by Joseph-Pierre Braemt to commemorate the foundation of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels under the patronage of William I, King of the Netherlands. The medal presents the codes of early 19th-century political imagery: a classical portrait of the king, with inscriptions in Latin, associating the new institution with the prestige of the Roman Empire. It was designed and produced during a period of significant political and social change, as Belgium was part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands after the Napoleonic Wars. The academy itself was founded in 1711 but this medal celebrates its royal patronage in 1817. The medal reflects the academy's role in shaping artistic standards and promoting a specific vision of national identity under the new regime. Understanding such an artwork fully requires us to delve into archival records, examining the political and institutional contexts. This reveals the complex interplay between art, power, and national identity during a transformative period in Belgian history.