Peace with Holland [obverse]

Art Historical Context

Behold the obverse of *Peace with*, a striking silver medal crafted by the renowned German engraver Sebastian Dadler in 1654. Measuring 6.15 cm in diameter and weighing nearly 60 grams, this substantial piece exemplifies the artistry of 17th-century numismatic sculpture. Dadler, a master of intricate medal design, employed the struck silver technique—hammering molten silver into detailed dies—to create a durable, high-relief portrait that captures the gravitas of its commemorative purpose. This medal celebrates the Peace of Westminster, signed on April 15, 1654, which ended the First Anglo-Dutch War between England (under Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth) and the Dutch Republic. Amid naval rivalries and trade disputes, the treaty marked a fragile truce, symbolized here on the obverse likely through allegorical figures or portraits evoking harmony. Such medals served as portable propaganda, blending diplomacy with artistry to immortalize pivotal moments. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's Coin and Sculpture Department as a gift from Lisa and Leonard Baskin, Dadler's work highlights the medal's role in Baroque-era visual culture—compact yet monumental, inviting close inspection of its fine engraving and historical resonance. A testament to peace's artistry amid conflict.