Genootschap "Mathesis Scientiarum Genetrix", penning toegekend aan de wis- en bouwkundige Jan Timmerman voor zijn verhandeling "Tot Nut voor Rhijnland". 1796

Curator: This is the "Genootschap 'Mathesis Scientiarum Genetrix'" medal, crafted in 1796 to honor Jan Timmerman. It’s such an artifact of its time. There's a lot packed into its small space! Editor: Immediately I’m struck by how busy it is, and yet everything is so formally arranged. Very neoclassical! It’s also somehow, rather uplifting. What do you make of its general mood? Curator: Absolutely, the medal embodies that late 18th-century enthusiasm for reason and progress. It depicts, in relief, an allegorical scene—Wisdom, as a regal matron, surrounded by children, symbolizing students, all bathed in the radiant light of knowledge. It has all the era’s certainties stamped on it! Editor: The ‘mother of sciences’ figure—a compelling choice of visual metaphor that hints at the crucial role that women should have held during this period of supposed enlightenment. Yet, I can't help but wonder about the message that its sculptor really wished to disseminate? The male mathematicians seem to dominate the history of the field then as now. Curator: The medal certainly encapsulates a specific vision of intellectual life and society. The surrounding inscription states that 'Mathematics is the mother of the sciences.' Jan Timmerman received the piece in recognition of his treatise on 'Tot Nut voor Rhijnland,' or 'For the Benefit of the Rhine Region'. Editor: It’s fascinating to think about how geometry, as seen here with pillars, relates to something as concrete as regional development. Perhaps linking ideas about structure, organization and societal planning with those same themes within mathematics. It looks, at first glance, like mere ornamentation. However, closer inspection seems to tell a deeper story of this crucial and specific relationship, not just for Timmerman but also society as a whole! Curator: I do like how they try to illustrate mathematics—an intangible idea through touchable sculpture. As a work of art itself, it is, essentially, a type of symbolic geometry. It’s a complex achievement, really. This is the power of numismatic art— condensing significant societal values into this portable form. It also offers a lovely glimpse into the intellectual landscape of the late 18th century. Editor: Indeed, the medal’s symbolism grants us this very concise window into history’s lens, and as an advocate for further learning, what greater a treasure to provide!