Honorary Medal Awarded by the VOC to Ysbrant Godske for the Construction of the Castle at the Cape of Good Hope, anonymous, 1677

Honorary Medal Awarded by the VOC to Ysbrant Godske for the Construction of the Castle at the Cape of Good Hope, anonymous, 1677

engraving, h 8cm × w 5cm × l 42cm × w 493gr More details

People who have performed a heroic deed or reached the end of a long career are sometimes awarded a medal as a token of esteem and gratitude. Often these are made of gold. Especially in the seventeenth century, gold medals with their chains were literally a reward. They were subsequently melted down and converted into money, which is why so few have survived.

On display in room 2.16