103678 | NETHERLANDS. Johannes Diderik van der Waals bronze Medal.

103678  |  BELGIUM & THE NETHERLANDS. Johannes Diderik van der Waals bronze Medal. Issued 1911. The Belgo-Dutch Society of the Friends of Medallic Art: van der Waals–the Nobel Prize in physics, issue 26 (65mm, 114.20 g, 12h). By Frederik (Fré) Engel Jeltsema.

 

PROF DR J D VAN DER WAALS ÆTATIS LXXIII, bust left // NED–BELG-VEREENIGING-DER-PENNING-VRIENDEN / NOBELPRIJS-1910, a three-dimensional representation of van der Waals isotherms, with respect to pressure, volume, and temperature, along with his equation: (p + a/v²) = RT/(v-b); all set upon laurel branch. Edge: Plain.

 

Choice Mint State. Olive-brown surfaces, with a charming matte nature. An excellent representation of mathematics in medallic art.

 

Johannes Diderik van der Waals was an important Dutch physicist, most notably for his groundbreaking work in molecular theory involving gases and liquids. One of his most famous works, his eponymous "van der Waals equation," is equation of state that generalizes the ideal gas law. In 1910, he was the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics—the occasion for the topic of this medal.

 

The Société hollando-belge des amis de la médaille d'art, similar to American series such as the Circle of Friends of the Medallion, the Society of Medalists, and even the still-active Brookgreen Gardens issues, was an annual series of medallic art, each featuring different designs and themes by some of the most acclaimed sculptors and engravers in Belgium and the Netherlands. The series produced numerous medals from 1901-1920, eventually becoming Les amis de la médaille d’art, active from 1920-1959.

 

The designer of this medal, Frederik Engel Jeltsema, whose first name was often abbreviated as Fré, was born in 1879 in the Dutch town of Uithuizen. Upon birth however, Fré's sex was ambiguous, with the doctor registering him as female, and with Fré being named Frederika Engelina. He was raised as a girl despite feeling more masculine than feminine from a young age. Fré first pursued his passion of art locally in Groningen, but then studied internationally in Paris and Rome. In 1906, upon a return the Netherlands from his studies abroad, he underwent a physical examination in which the doctor confirmed what Fré had long been feeling—that he possessed much more masculine than feminine characteristics. From this point, Fré set in motion the changes needed to live more authentically, changing his name from Frederika Engelina to Frederik Engel, changing his wardrobe from women's clothes to men's, and informing his friends and family. For more information on Fré Jeltsema, please follow this link.

 

Upload: 17 August 2026.