Scheepstimmerliedengilde van Amsterdam, gildepenning van Symen Cornelisse van de Haarlemmerpoort en van Symen Jansen Bruyn c. 1600 - 1800

This guild badge of Symen Cornelisse van de Haarlemmerpoort and Symen Jansen Bruyn is an anonymous work. The circular form immediately directs the eye to its structure. The use of bronze as a medium is critical; its density and color create a tactile experience. The circle is bisected by an inscription naming the craftsmen, versus a ship floating on water, enclosed by rope. Consider the contrast between these elements. The inscription, rendered in a careful yet informal script, suggests a personal, almost intimate connection to the craftsmen named. The ship is a symbol of trade, travel, and prosperity, its depiction enclosed by a rope indicating the guild's power to constrain. The circular shape itself, unbroken and continuous, signifies unity, community, and the cyclical nature of craftsmanship, an unending tradition which is continually reinterpreted by new generations of artisans.