Verovering van Maastricht en Rheinberg door Frederik Hendrik 1633

Aert Verbeeck made this medal to celebrate Frederik Hendrik’s conquests of Maastricht and Rheinberg. Medals like these were made across Europe in the early modern period to celebrate important political and military events. Here, the image creates meaning through visual codes associated with power and conquest. Frederik Hendrik’s portrait is framed by laurel leaves, a symbol of victory since ancient times. Below, we see a distant cityscape. On the other side of the medal, a map shows the layout of a fortified city by a river. The inscription reads ‘Maastricht and Rheinberg received’. It's a classic piece of propaganda, reinforcing the idea of Frederik Hendrik as a successful military leader. Looking at this medal, a historian would want to know more about who commissioned it, who it was given to, and how it was used. What was the public role of art at that time? What were the politics of imagery? By studying the medal, and other historical sources, we can better understand the social conditions that shaped artistic production in the Dutch Republic.