Stillen van het aansprekersoproer te Amsterdam, penning aan de gewapende burgers vereerd Possibly 1696

Editor: This metal coin, dating back possibly to 1696, is entitled "Stillen van het aansprekersoproer te Amsterdam, penning aan de gewapende burgers vereerd," made by Reynier Arondeaux. The depiction of Neptune calms the tempestuous seas – a direct, if perhaps overstated, metaphor. What's your interpretation? Curator: The coin hums with civic pride and Baroque swagger! It's a visual poem, really. Neptune, more toned than your average depiction I see in contemporary museums if I may add, represents Amsterdam's government, quelling the unrest—the 'aansprekersoproer'—with a decisive hand. Notice how he faces towards the viewer, arm raised and trident steady as the tides, yet somehow it still feels performative. Like putting on a show rather than feeling present in the moment, do you catch that feeling too? Editor: Yes, and that performance is then permanently minted in silver, almost like an official declaration! The reverse with its sunrise motif—that must be symbolic of peace restored, right? And it includes a text in Latin praising Amsterdam’s government for ending the turmoil. Curator: Exactly! The sunrise, the inscribed banner—it's all about broadcasting a very specific, very self-congratulatory narrative. You see, these weren’t just pretty objects, but tools to sculpt public opinion and memory. Every line, every wave feels like a carefully crafted word, forming an assertive statement of control, but with such dramatic fanfare! You know what that tells me, a sensitive but underlying tension that reveals a possible struggle with leadership. Maybe, just maybe. Editor: I hadn’t considered the power dynamic so overtly. I was too caught up in the beautiful details, I love how the coin manages to weave so many layers of information together! Curator: It’s a dense, evocative, and revealing artefact, I would agree with you, if anything it shows me the hidden secrets within history. Makes me wish there was a side C to these pieces of historical record.