Geboorte van Frederika Louise Wilhelmina, prinses van Oranje-Nassau

About this artwork

Zilveren penning. Voorzijde: borststuk man binnen omschrift. Keerzijde: beschenen door alziend oog in stralende driehoek daalt engel op wolken uit hemel af om kind dat zij in armen houdt te overhandigen aan Nederlandse maagd zittend met wapenschild en vrijheidshoed op speer in Nederlandse tuin, vergezeld van leeuw met pijlenbundel binnen omschrift; afsnede: opschrift

Art Historical Context

This silver medal, struck in 1770 by Dutch medallist Gerrit van Moelingen (I), commemorates the birth of Princess Frederika Louise Wilhelmina of Orange-Nassau. Measuring just 3.7 centimetres in diameter and weighing 21.24 grams, the work exemplifies the refined art of 18th-century medal-making, a medium prized for capturing significant royal and civic events in portable, durable form. Its precise striking technique allowed intricate details to be preserved across countless impressions, making such pieces both diplomatic gifts and treasured family heirlooms. The reverse presents a richly symbolic scene: an angel descends from a radiant triangle containing the all-seeing eye of Providence, delivering the infant to a seated Dutch maiden who holds the provincial arms and a liberty cap on a spear. A lion clutching arrows stands beside her in a stylised Dutch garden. These elements celebrate the continuity of the House of Orange-Nassau while invoking divine protection and republican virtues central to Dutch identity at the time. The obverse likely bears a portrait of a key figure from the court, completing a narrative that links personal royal joy to the broader fortunes of the nation.