Schroders- of kleermakersgilde van Groningen, gildepenning van Harmannes van den Berg 1782

This is a guild token made of bronze for the Groningen tailors' guild, recognizing Harmannes van den Berg in 1782. Guilds like this one in the Dutch Republic were vital social and economic institutions. The image of scissors on one side is a clear visual code: it represents the tools and trade of the tailors. The date 1666 refers to the year the guild was established, and the other side bears the name of Harmannes van den Berg and the year he joined or became a master, 1782. These tokens gave members an elevated social standing and a kind of belonging through a shared professional identity. Guilds were powerful because they regulated training, production, and trade within their specific crafts. They preserved the knowledge and techniques of their trades. To understand how these guilds shaped economic and social life, we can consult guild records, local histories, and economic studies of the period, all resources that historians use to reveal the rich social contexts of art.