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Three Guys Taking a Dump!
Sorry this isn’t an artefact as such but I thought it was a cool find that I’ve had for a while but never conclusively identified. It’s 42mm in diameter, cast in lead and bizarrely has the inscriptions mostly (but not completely) in reversed mirror image. The legends are in general what are known as “blundered”, with numerous retrograde errors and irregularities. I’m showing it here with the pictures reversed in Photoshop, so that most of the words are the right way round.
The main inscriptions led me to believe it was Dutch, since the words are a Latin quote that was adopted as a motto by the Dutch republic in 1550. One side of the design shows three guys with their pants down, taking a dump(!) and the other side shows three guys having a dust-up with swords. My belief was that it probably represented a satirical observation on the contempt shown by some group of three European countries for a treaty or squabbling about territories, borders and empires. But the possible date at the bottom was undecipherable, so I didn’t know which of many such historical disputes it might relate to.
Thanks to those great folks at the British Museum, as of today I now know I wasn’t too far off. It was made in Germany in 1714. They have a better condition example in their collection, reproduced below (picture also reversed in Photoshop by me):
[Picture above and information below are copyright of the Trustees of the British Museum]
The collection record gives the following information:
Obverse: Three men, an Englishman, a Frenchman, and a Dutchman, all partially undressed, defecating under a wall. All three have words issuing from their mouths. The Dutchman is smoking a pipe.
CONCORDIA RES PARVAE CRESCVNT (By concord small things increase)
Dutchman: IK MAEK MEE (I do it also)
Frenchman: SI VOUS PLAIT (If you please)
Englishman: I AM PLEASE
NOOT BREEKT ISEN (Necessity breaks Iron)
PAX OU TREC (Peace or dirt, and also a “pun” for the Peace of Utrecht.)
1713
Reverse: The same three men, fully dressed, throw at each other the contents of the heap which they are represented making on the other side.
DISCORDIA MAXIMA DILABVNTVR (By discord the greatest things will fall)
Dutchman: WAT! BEHAEGT U DAT? (What! Does that please you?)
Frenchman: SANS REGARD (Without regard)
Englishman: FIE, WHAT IS THAT!
DAT SOL IE HIER BEWISN (That I will prove here)
PAX IN TREC (Peace in dirt, reiterating the “pun” on Peace of Utrecht on the obverse)
1714
This satirical medal was executed in Germany, and marks the discontent felt in that country at the conclusion of the Peace of Utrecht. It was anticipated that a treaty carried out with so much designing and with such want of sincerity could not last, and that what the contracting powers accomplished in one year, they would destroy in the following. Louis XIV had already shown a want of faith in allowing the Pretender, who under the treaty was to withdraw from his dominions, to take up his residence at Bar-le-Duc, in Lorraine, which, though nominally a separate country, was geographically a portion of France. The inscriptions and legends are very irregular, generally reading backwards, and some with the letters reversed.
The acquisition record describes it as “rare” and refers to a similar but not identical example in the Royal Collection at Brussels, Belgium. I’m well pleased as you can imagine, although it’s probably not tremendously valuable in this condition (the BM of course would not value it, and I didn’t ask).
The main inscriptions led me to believe it was Dutch, since the words are a Latin quote that was adopted as a motto by the Dutch republic in 1550. One side of the design shows three guys with their pants down, taking a dump(!) and the other side shows three guys having a dust-up with swords. My belief was that it probably represented a satirical observation on the contempt shown by some group of three European countries for a treaty or squabbling about territories, borders and empires. But the possible date at the bottom was undecipherable, so I didn’t know which of many such historical disputes it might relate to.
Thanks to those great folks at the British Museum, as of today I now know I wasn’t too far off. It was made in Germany in 1714. They have a better condition example in their collection, reproduced below (picture also reversed in Photoshop by me):
[Picture above and information below are copyright of the Trustees of the British Museum]
The collection record gives the following information:
Obverse: Three men, an Englishman, a Frenchman, and a Dutchman, all partially undressed, defecating under a wall. All three have words issuing from their mouths. The Dutchman is smoking a pipe.
CONCORDIA RES PARVAE CRESCVNT (By concord small things increase)
Dutchman: IK MAEK MEE (I do it also)
Frenchman: SI VOUS PLAIT (If you please)
Englishman: I AM PLEASE
NOOT BREEKT ISEN (Necessity breaks Iron)
PAX OU TREC (Peace or dirt, and also a “pun” for the Peace of Utrecht.)
1713
Reverse: The same three men, fully dressed, throw at each other the contents of the heap which they are represented making on the other side.
DISCORDIA MAXIMA DILABVNTVR (By discord the greatest things will fall)
Dutchman: WAT! BEHAEGT U DAT? (What! Does that please you?)
Frenchman: SANS REGARD (Without regard)
Englishman: FIE, WHAT IS THAT!
DAT SOL IE HIER BEWISN (That I will prove here)
PAX IN TREC (Peace in dirt, reiterating the “pun” on Peace of Utrecht on the obverse)
1714
This satirical medal was executed in Germany, and marks the discontent felt in that country at the conclusion of the Peace of Utrecht. It was anticipated that a treaty carried out with so much designing and with such want of sincerity could not last, and that what the contracting powers accomplished in one year, they would destroy in the following. Louis XIV had already shown a want of faith in allowing the Pretender, who under the treaty was to withdraw from his dominions, to take up his residence at Bar-le-Duc, in Lorraine, which, though nominally a separate country, was geographically a portion of France. The inscriptions and legends are very irregular, generally reading backwards, and some with the letters reversed.
The acquisition record describes it as “rare” and refers to a similar but not identical example in the Royal Collection at Brussels, Belgium. I’m well pleased as you can imagine, although it’s probably not tremendously valuable in this condition (the BM of course would not value it, and I didn’t ask).
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