Zeeuwsch Genootschap der Wetenschappen te Vlissingen

About this artwork

Zilveren penning. Voorzijde: zeven vrouwen, voorstellende de vrije kunsten zittend op rots in zee binnen omschrift; afsnede: opschrift onderbroken door wapenschild. Keerzijde: Minerva met helm, speer en wapenschild leunt op zuil en houdt krans in haar uitgestrekte hand; aan haar voeten uil, op achtergrond gezicht op stad Vlissingen binnen omschrift; afsnede: opschrift

Art Historical Context

This exquisite silver medal, titled *Zeeuwsch Genoots der Wetenschappen te Vlingen*, was crafted by Cornelis Ploos Amstel in 1801. Measuring just 0.5 cm thick with a 6 cm diameter and weighing 92.2 grams, it exemplifies the precision of struck metalworking—a technique where detailed dies press designs into softened silver, creating finely incised reliefs ideal for commemorative pieces. Produced in Vlissingen (modern-day Flushing), Netherlands, it honors the Zeeuwsch Genotschap der Wetenschappen a prestigious learned society founded in 1769 to advance sciences and arts in Zeeland. The obverse features seven seated women embodying the liberal arts—grammar, rhetoric, dialectic, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy—perched on a rocky outcrop amid the sea, evoking Zeeland's maritime heritage. A coat of arms interrupts the inscription below. On the reverse, Minerva, Roman goddess of wisdom, stands helmeted with spear and shield, leaning on a column as she extends a laurel wreath; her owl perches at her feet, while Vlissingen's skyline graces the background. These neoclassical motifs celebrate intellectual pursuit and local pride. As a tangible emblem of Enlightenment-era scholarship, this medal reflects early 19th-century Dutch cultural patronage, blending allegory with regional identity in a compact, enduring form perfect for society members to wear or display.

About the Artist

Cornelis Ploos van Amstel · 1726–1798

Dutch, 1726–1798