European Medals from 1513 to 1788
Netherlands, The Dutch Republic. Medal (Silver, 72mm, 105.40 g 12), on the lynching of the De Witt brothers in the Hague, by P. Aury (1622-?), 1672. IOHANNES DE WITT NAT A 1625 CORNELIVS DE WITT NAT A 1623 Busts of the De Witt brothers facing each other; on the left, armored bust of Cornelius facing right; on the right, civil bust of Johannes facing left; below the busts, AVRY - FEC; on ribbon floating below busts, HIC ARMIS MAXIMVS ILLE TOGA (= one was great in war, the other in peace ); behind the head of Johannes, INTEGER VITAE (= irreproachable in his conduct ); behind the head of Cornelius, SCELERIS-QVE PVRVS (= free from crime ). Rev. NUNC REDEUNT ANIMIS INGENTIA CONSULIS ACTA ET FORMIDATI SCEPTRIS ORACLA MINISTRI (= Now we recall the character of the great deeds of our burgomaster; and the speeches of our minister of state made kingdoms tremble ) The De Witt brothers, heroically nude, attacked and killed by a many-bodied monster composed of savage animals (bear, bull, boar, unicorn, lion, tiger and horse); below left, AVRY.F; around, wreath entwined with a ribbon inscribed, MENS ACTIAT MOLEM ET MAGNO SE CORPORE MISCET (=Virgil, Aeneid 6, 724 one primal Mind, immingled with the vast and general frame, fills every part ); in exergue, NOBILE PAR FRATRVM SAEVO / FVROR ORE TRVCIDAT. / XX AVGVSTI. (= This noble pair of brothers was put to death by an inhuman frenzy, 20 August 1672 ), with the year as a chronogram. Scher, The Proud Republic, 39. TMNK 00798. Van Loon III, pp. 81-82. Rare and of great historical importance. Beautifully toned and extremely attractive. Good extremely fine. The story of the De Witt brothers is intimately connected to the struggle between the oligarchical classes of Holland, represented by De Witt, and the more popular forces, represented by the House of Orange. The Stadtholder Willem II of Orange died of smallpox in 1650, one week before the birth of his son Willem III (later William III of England). Until Willem III came of age the country was run by a council of state, of which Johannes De Witt was the guiding force. De Witt helped bring the Netherlands a period of great prosperity, but while he built up the navy he neglected the army so when the French invaded in 1672 they advanced very rapidly. This resulted in a political showdown in which Cornelius De Witt was imprisoned under suspicion of a plot against the young Willem III. When Johannes came to visit him in prison they were both seized and murdered by a furious mob of supporters of Willem III. In death they became heroes to many segments of Dutch society and a number of medals were produced to commemorate them. This piece is surely the most famous.