Penning op het eeuwfeest van de Utrechtse Hogeschool, 1736 1736

This medal, made in 1736 by an anonymous artist, commemorates the centenary of Utrecht University. We see allegorical figures laden with symbolism. On one side, a wild, untamed man offers what appears to be a bundle of sticks; he stands before a seated woman, likely Sapientia, or Wisdom, attended by a lion and snake. The vanquishing of monsters, as the inscription suggests, speaks to the triumph of reason and order over primal chaos. We see similar motifs echoing across centuries – from ancient depictions of Heracles battling the Hydra to Renaissance images of saints overcoming dragons. The emotional undercurrent here is profound; a deep-seated yearning for control over the unpredictable forces of nature and the inner self. Consider the serpent, a symbol of both healing and destruction. Its presence here, subdued beneath the feet of Wisdom, is a testament to humanity's ongoing struggle to reconcile instinct with intellect. Like a recurring dream, these images resurface, each time colored by the anxieties and aspirations of a new era.