Vrede van Breda

About this artwork

diameter 8,8 cm x gewicht 89,6 gr

Art Historical Context

Step into the turbulent world of 17th Europe with this striking silver medal, *Vrede van Breda* (Peace of Breda crafted anonymously in 1667. 8.8 cm in diameter weighing a substantial 89.6 grams, it commemorates the pivotal Treaty ofa, signed on July31 that year. This agreement ended the Second Anglo-D War (1665–1667), a fierce naval conflict between the Dutch Republic, England, France, and Denmark-Nor. The treaty reshaped colonial maps—England gained New York (formerly New Netherland), while the Dutch secured key trade rights—heralding a fragile peace amid the Dutch Golden Age's commercial rivalries. Produced via the precision technique of striking, where a die is hammered into softened metal to create raised designs, this medal exemplifies the era's mastery of numismatic art. Common in the Netherlands for propaganda and celebration, such pieces blended fine craftsmanship with political messaging, often featuring allegorical figures of peace, ships, or coats of arms on obverse and reverse (though specifics here remain unattributed). As a tangible relic of diplomacy, *Vrede van Breda* captures the optimism of postwar recovery, inviting us to ponder how small metal objects immortalized grand historical moments. A true gem for history buffs!

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...