Early 2013, five artists were invited to submit designs for a cast medal to commemorate the centenary of Erasmus University Rotterdam in November 2013. As her starting point for this contest, sculptor Linda Verkaaik took the theme of EUR’s development strategy (“At home in the world”). She writes: “My medal intends to visualise the outlines of this new world. At home on the university campus, rooted in Rotterdam, exploring the Netherlands, and further in Europe, and the world…”
The medal features an obverse consisting of thin oval shaped layers with in the top layer the map of EUR’s Woudestein campus and a student diving into the deep; the second layer a symbolic Rotterdam harbour basin, the third the outline of the Netherlands, next the map of Europe and finally, symbolically, the world as a whole.
As counterpart of the obverse the reverse shows inward ovals; from de deepest oval, where the university is symbolised by Erasmus’ signature, the student emerges full of energy, away from the university, ready for the world.
The obverse texts read (in Dutch): THE WORLD IS MY HOME – PRAISE OF FOLLY – FOOLISHNESS CROWNED – ERASMUS UNIVERSITY ROTTERDAM
NB: Since 2016 on loan, acquired September 2020.
