Netherlands. Willem I. Bronze medal 1827 – Tribute for the Ghent–Terneuzen Canal (by Braemt, Dirks 297)
Obverse:
Bare-headed bust of King Willem I facing left. Around the legend: "GVILIELMVS I. BELGARVM REX" (Willem I, King of the Belgians). Below the truncation: "BRAEMT. F."
Reverse:
Neptune standing left, holding a trident and pointing toward a sluice gate; to his right, the goddess Ceres reclines with a cornucopia. At left, lion-headed ship’s prow and flowing water. Around: "FLUVIIS EXUNDANTIBUS NAVIBUSQUE NOVA IN OCEANUM VIA. MDCCCXXVII" (With the rivers flooding and the ships, a new way to the ocean, 1827). In exergue: "EXEGIT OBEDIENS ORIENT. / ET ZEELAND. CUM S. MAAT. CANAL / GRATI".
Historical context:
This 1827 bronze medal by Braemt (Dirks 297) commemorates the completion of the Ghent–Terneuzen Canal, a major infrastructure project initiated under King Willem I. The canal opened a direct maritime link between the Scheldt and the North Sea, bolstering commerce and agriculture in Flanders and Zeeland. The reverse allegory praises both maritime achievement (Neptune) and agricultural prosperity (Ceres), unified under royal patronage.
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