Balthasar Bekker, predikant te Amsterdam, door de synode te Alkmaar afgezet
1698
Medium
striking (metalworking)
Dimensions
4.9; 45.8
About this artwork
Gift of J.M. van Gelder-Nijhoff
Art Historical Context
This intriguing struck medal from 1698 commemorates Balthasar Bekker, a prominent Dutch preacher in Amsterdam who faced ecclesiastical controversy. Titled *Balthasar Bekker predikant te Amsterdam door de synode temaar afgezet* ("Balthasar Bekker, preacher in Amsterdam, deposed the synod in Alkmaar"), it a pivotal moment in Bekker's life. Measuring just 4.9 cm in and weighing 45.8 grams, this small metalwork piece was likely produced as a jeton or medalet—common in the Dutch Golden Age for marking personal or satirical events. Bekker (1634–1698) gained notoriety for his 1691 book *De Betoverde...
About the Artist
anonymous
In the vast tapestry of art history, "Anonymous" stands not as a singular individual but as a collective designation for countless unidentified creators whose works have endured across millennia. These artists, spanning prehistoric cave painters to medieval illuminators and folk craftsmen, produced the foundational layers of human visual culture. Prior to the Renaissance, when individual fame emer...