Item number: A1178

Year: AD 1603

Material: Silver

Size: 30.2 x 29.9 x 1.1 mm

Weight: 7.65 g

Provenance: Jeans Elsen & ses Fils 2024

This is a token issued by the Dutch Republic of the Seven United Provinces, intended to demonstrate their unwavering resolve in the struggle against Spain. The obverse features a central depiction of the Siege of Ostend, surrounded by the Latin inscription “IN · ADVERSIS · VIRTVS,” which translates to “Virtue in Adversity.”

On the reverse, the central scene is drawn from Aesop’s fable of the rooster and the fox, in which the fox attempts to deceive the rooster into coming down from a branch by praising its beautiful singing, intending to eat it. This allegory casts doubt on the reasonableness of the Archduke of Spain’s promises of surrender. The Latin inscription around the edge, “ALIVD · IN · LINGVA · ALIVD · IN · PECTORE,” translates to “One thing on the tongue, another in the heart,” signifying duplicity.

The Siege of Ostend was one of the most brutal battles of the Eighty Years’ War. Due to its strategic location on the North Sea coast, both the Dutch and Spanish forces poured immense resources into the conflict. The Dutch sustained the defence by resupplying the town with goods and troops via sea, while the Spanish launched multiple assaults. Lasting from AD 1601 to 1604, it took Spain a full three years to capture the town. The combined casualties exceeded 100,000, and the town itself was nearly destroyed.

物件編號: A1178

年代: 公元 1603 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 30.2 x 29.9 x 1.1 mm

重量: 7.65 g

來源: 比利時 Jean Elsen & ses Fils拍賣 2024

這是一枚由尼德蘭七省聯合共和國所發行的代幣，其目的在於展現與西班牙抗爭到底的決心。正面中央為奧斯坦德圍城戰的場景，外圈的拉丁銘文「IN · ADVERSIS · VIRTVS」意思為逆境中的美德。

反面中央的場景取自伊索寓言中公雞與狐狸的故事，狐狸以歌聲美妙為由企圖騙公雞飛下樹枝，進而吃掉它，藉此質疑西班牙大公勸降保證的合理性。外圈的拉丁銘文「ALIVD · IN · LINGVA · ALIVD · IN · PECTORE」的意思為表裡不一。

奧斯坦德圍城戰為八十年戰爭中最慘烈的戰役，由於位處北海海岸的戰略位置，攻守雙方皆投入大量資源，荷蘭藉由海上補給送入物資及兵員，西班牙則發動多次進攻。自公元1601年至公元1604年，立時整整三年西班牙才攻陷城鎮，雙方傷亡人數加總超過10萬人，而城鎮也幾乎被摧毀。