Draaiers-, witwerkers-, blok-, Spaanse stoel-, laden- en borstelmakersgilde van Middelburg 1709

This medal, created by Willem du Pre, embodies the spirit of the Draaiers-, witwerkers-, blok-, Spaanse stoel-, laden- en borstelmakersgilde van Middelburg. The chair, prominently displayed, transcends its function as mere furniture; it represents authority and craftsmanship. The careful arrangement of tools alongside it symbolizes skill, labor, and the values of the guild. These symbols echo throughout art history. The chair, in particular, evokes images of thrones and seats of power, as far back as the Egyptian pharaohs, carrying the weight of tradition across millennia. Consider, too, the tools depicted: each one a conduit for human creativity and ingenuity. Like the ancient flints, these tools embody our perennial drive to shape our world, a drive that bridges eras and cultures. Such emblems are not simply relics; they resurface, evolve, and assume new meanings in distinct historical settings, speaking to our shared memory, a cultural echo passed down through generations.