De exercitie met schild en spies: de soldaat staande in rust zijn rapier rustend op de linkerschouder achter het schild (nr. 23), 1618 1616 - 1618

Adam van Breen etched this print of a resting soldier in 1618. The shield, emblazoned with complex ornamentation, is a potent symbol of protection and status. The soldier's posture, the sword laid casually over the shoulder, belies the ever-present tension of the military life. Consider how shields appear in antiquity, from the Greek hoplites to Roman legionaries; the shield has long symbolized communal defense and personal honor. The ornamentation on the shield reminds us of the symbolic weight these objects have carried across cultures. Think of heraldic crests in medieval Europe, where a shield became a canvas for family history and personal identity. This cultural memory taps into our collective subconscious, reminding us of ancestral struggles and the need for protection. Ultimately, the shield endures not merely as a tool of war, but as a visual metaphor for the psychological defenses we all carry. This symbol resurfaces continuously, adapting to new needs and anxieties, yet always echoing the primal need for safety.