Medal to commemorate Michiel de Ruyter

This commemorative medal was designed to mark the funeral of Admiral de Ruyter on 18 March 1677. The obverse bears a portrait of the admiral, the reverse an image of a naval battle. Joachim Oudaen wrote a poem to commemorate De Ruyter’s death, which ends with the line ‘He colours his laurels with his blood’. De Ruyter was thus a true hero. Both examples of the medal come from the De Ruyter family.