Wapenschild van Pruisen 1817 - 1845

Henri François Brandt created this Prussian coat of arms, with a diameter of 7.7 cm, sometime before 1845. Here, the Prussian heraldic shield is flanked by two wild men, figures rooted deep in the European psyche, representing primal strength. This motif echoes through the ages—from the medieval woodwose to fantastical depictions in Renaissance tapestries. Crowns, symbols of monarchical power, perch atop both the shield and these figures. Such iconography is not confined to Prussia; variations appear across Europe, reflecting a collective yearning for legitimacy and power. This primal figure, this guardian, resurfaces time and again, each time shaped by the fears and desires of a new era. It is this cyclical return of symbols, and the shifting cultural meanings ascribed to them that reveal the enduring currents of human consciousness.