Silver medallion with the emblem of the Dutch Virgin.

Oval, 8,5 x 6,3 cm, chiselled and openworked, no punch.

In a contemp. carved wooden frame, mod. support lined with green velvet and glass. Superb.

The Dutch Virgin is seated with a laurel crown, holding a cornucopia and a spear crested with the Hat of Liberty, supported by the Dutch Lion. Under the radiant gaze of the Almighty, she faces a bust portrait of a sovereign, surmounted by a crowned eagle, supported by a panoply of cannons, cannonballs, spears and flags, on a pedestal bearing the inscription "VEREENNIGT/ 1787 EN 1788". This portrait probably depicts King Frederick William II of Prussia (1744-1797), whose sister Wilhelmina was the consort of Stadhouder William V of Orange, and leader of the dynastic party and counter-revolution in the Netherlands. The two dates refer to two major events of the time: 1) Frederick William intervened with his troops in 1787 to counter the Dutch Revolution and reinstate the Stadhouder, who had to flee Holland in 1785; 2) in 1788 he signed the Treaty of The Hague with England and the States General to guarantee the independence of the United Provinces from France. The mention "Vereennigt" therefore alluded to the rapprochement between the Dutch Republic and Prussia, which claimed to be the protector of the established order.