The expedition that acted along the Lower Congo under the leadership of Stanley (1879-84) could lay the foundations of a state organisation that the Berlin Conference in 1885 would recognise as Congo Free State. The Belgian legislative assemblies allowed Leopold II to become sovereign of the new state. This allowed the king to rule there in an absolutist manner. Abuses that were sharply denounced in Anglo-Saxon countries and in Germany led to the transfer of Congo Free State to Belgium on 15 Novembre 1908, when Leopold II was obliged to keep his vast crown domain in private ownership. This medal commemorates the annexation, featuring on the obverse a woman embracing a Congolese and a Belgian boy.
| Artist |
Godfried Devreese
RKD
|
|---|---|
|
Alphonse Michaux
RKD
|
|
| Title | Commemorative Medal of the Annexation by the Belgian State of Congo Free State in 1908 |
| Date | 1909 |
| Period | 20th century |
| Location | Belgium TGN |
| Collection | medals AAT |
| Inventory number | 1909-W |
| Acquisition credit |
purchase
Devreese, Godfried 1909-03-07 |
| Permalink | https://mskgent.be/collection/work/data/1909-W |
| IIIF Manifest | https://imagehub.mskgent.be/iiif/3/7638/manifest.json |
| Art & Architecture Thesaurus | 300055865 Symbolism (artistic concept) AAT |
|---|---|
| Keywords Iconclass |
25F23(LION)
beasts of prey, predatory animals: lion
Iconclass
25H15 forest, wood Iconclass 25I city-view, and landscape with man-made constructions Iconclass 25I12 prospect of city, town panorama, silhouette of city Iconclass 31A the (nude) human figure; 'Corpo humano' (Ripa) Iconclass 31A72 female sex; woman Iconclass 31B6211 looking upwards Iconclass 31B6212 looking downwards Iconclass 31D11221 boy (child between toddler and youth) Iconclass 32B32 Africans Iconclass 33A14 embracing each other, kissing Iconclass 44B24 colonial government Iconclass 46A122 coats of arms, heraldry Iconclass 61B2(LEOPOLD II) historical person (LEOPOLD II) Iconclass 61D(BELGIUM) geographical names of countries, regions, mountains, rivers, etc. (names of cities and villages excepted) (BELGIUM) Iconclass |
|
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