Parliament Assembled in One House [reverse] 1650

This bronze medal, created by Thomas Simon, depicts the English Parliament assembled. What strikes us immediately is the almost organic massing of figures, a collective body that swells and rises towards the architectural elements in the background. This recalls the ancient Roman concept of the *Senatus Populusque Romanus*, the Senate and People of Rome, often abbreviated as SPQR. This emblem, seen on banners and buildings, symbolized the collective authority of the Roman state. Similarly, here, the dense crowd of parliamentarians embodies the power and legitimacy of the assembly. Yet, the image also subtly evokes the idea of the crowd as a singular, almost monstrous entity, a theme explored in later works like Elias Canetti's "Crowds and Power." We see the recurring human anxiety around collective identity and authority. The medal leaves us to ponder how symbols of unity and power evolve, reflecting our ever-shifting understanding of collective identity.