Rijssel door de bondgenoten ingenomen

About this artwork

Zilveren penning. Voorzijde: Victoria staat op wapenschild van Rijssel, in gedaante van ter aarde liggende vrouw, en ontneemt haar haar kroon binnen omschrift; afsnede: opschrift. Keerzijde: Minerva zittend temidden van krijgstuig verschrikt ter aarde liggende Franse soldaat met Medusa-schild binnen omschrift; afsnede: opschrift; randschrift

Art Historical Context

### Commemorative Medal: *Rijssel door de bondgenoten ingen* Crafted in 1708 by German medalist Philipp Heinrich Müller, this silver medal (4.5 cm diameter, 39.32 grams) a pivotal military triumph during the War of the Spanish Succession Titled *Rijssel door de bondgenoten ingenomen*—Dutch for "Lille taken by the allies"—it honors the Allied forces' capture of the fortified French city of Lille (Rijssel in Dutch) from Louis XIV's army. Struck medals like this were popular in the Baroque era as portable propaganda, blending fine metalworking with allegorical symbolism to immortalize events for collectors and patriots. On the obverse, the goddess Victoria triumphantly stands atop Lille's coat of arms, personified as a prostrate woman from whom she seizes a crown, encircled by an inscription and exergue legend. The reverse depicts Minerva, seated amid trophies of war, terrifying a fallen French soldier with her Medusa-emblazoned shield—again framed by inscriptions and an edge legend. Müller's precise engraving captures dynamic tension through classical motifs, emphasizing victory and divine justice in a compact, lustrous form. This artifact reflects early 18th-century Europe's fervor for medallic art, where intricate chasing and striking techniques conveyed political narratives. A tangible relic of Marlborough and Prince Eugene's campaign, it invites us to ponder how small silver tokens amplified grand histories.