103520 | NETHERLANDS. Suppression of the Riots in Middelburg silver Medal.

103520  |  NETHERLANDS. Suppression of the Riots in Middelburg silver Medal. Issued 1704 (48mm, 47.68 g, 12h). By Jacob van Dieshoecke.

 

PERSEI VIRTUTE DEVICTA ([Medusa] conquered by the virtue of Perseus), Perseus standing facing, head left, holding sword and severed head of Medusa, to left, Pegasus leaping right over her decapitated body; view of Middelburg in background; in two lines exergue, MEDICE · ZELAND · XXVI/ IAN · MDCCIV · // HANC TUEMUR (this is what we defend...), street view of Middelburg defended by militia; to left, Liberty standing facing, holding phrygian cap on pole and resting hand on facing crowned eagle with wings spread; in exergue, VALET IRRITATA (...for she thrives under provocation). Edge: Plain.

 

Van Loon IV, 463; Fieweger 798; Julius 682. PCGS AU-58. Mostly gunmetal gray in hue, with some scattered darker areas of toning and great remaining brilliance.

 

Following the death of Stadtholder Willem III van Oranje (King William III/II of England/Scotland) in 1702, many of the provinces within the Dutch Republic were left without a steward to maintain peace and order. As such, by 1704, the balance of power in the peninsular Zeeland city of Middelburg declined, with much of the general public dissatisfied with what they saw as overreach by many of the city's merchant elites. Rioting ensued, with the city's militia tasked with suppressing the rioters. After its quelling, Dieshoecke was commissioned to design a medal commemorating the eventual peace, with the artist leaning into Neoclassical imagery and the beheading of Medusa by Perseus.

 

Upload: 5 November 2026.

 

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