Ornament met leeuwenkop 1597 - 1667

This is a small ornament featuring a lion’s head, made with etching. Here, the lion, a symbol of courage and royalty, is reduced to a mere decorative element, yet it still hints at a deeper, primal association with power and protection. Note the hybrid creatures flanking the central design, evoking griffins or similar mythical beasts. They remind us of ancient heraldry and mythological narratives, where such beings guarded treasures and symbolized strength. Consider how the image of the lion, for instance, has traversed epochs from ancient Mesopotamian reliefs to medieval coats of arms, always carrying echoes of its potent symbolic weight. The recurrence of such motifs across cultures and times speaks to our collective memory, a subconscious yearning for the protective and authoritative qualities these symbols embody. This little ornament engages our psyche, stirring ancestral memories and invoking a sense of timeless continuity.