Plate with the coat of arms of Hendrik Peter Godfried Quack and Isabella Gertraud von Carnap c. 1790 - 1800

This is a plate with the coat of arms of Hendrik Peter Godfried Quack and Isabella Gertraud von Carnap, made by E. Blancheron. The shield at the center, flanked by a winged figure and a lion, speaks volumes. Heraldry, you see, is a language of symbols. The lion, a symbol of courage and nobility, echoes through millennia, from ancient Mesopotamian reliefs to medieval banners. Notice the star at the center of the shield, it is a motif that twinkles across cultures, representing divine guidance and destiny. Consider the laurel wreath encircling the plate, a timeless emblem of victory and honor, as old as the Greek games, adorning emperors and poets alike. These symbols aren't static, though. They evolve, adapt, their meanings shifting with the tides of history and the depths of our collective psyche. The repetition of such symbols taps into what Jung called the collective unconscious. Over time, these images have been passed down through generations, evoking powerful emotions and connections to the past.