Timmerliedengilde van Amsterdam, gildepenning van Wiggert Janse 1706 - 1796

This brass guild badge of Wiggert Janse presents us with a fascinating symbolic tableau. On one side, rampant lions flank a crowned shield, emblems of strength and sovereignty, deeply rooted in heraldic traditions across Europe. However, it's the other side that truly intrigues me: a centaur carrying a woman, accompanied by another figure. This recalls the classical myth of the Centaur Nessus abducting Deianira, a potent symbol of untamed passions and the struggle between reason and instinct. This motif echoes in Botticelli's "Venus and Mars," where similar themes of love and conflict intertwine. Consider, though, the subtle shift: is this abduction, or an escape? Could it signify a flight from danger, a theme that resonates with the collective anxieties and desires of the time? The emotional resonance of such imagery—fear, desire, and the eternal quest for safety—speaks to the enduring power of symbols to tap into our shared human experience across time.