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.
