Schippersgilde te 's-Hertogenbosch, gildepenning door het gilde geschonken aan opperdeken Claude Antoine Lormier 1780 - 1781

Curator: At first glance, this object strikes me as intensely melancholic, doesn't it? A solitary ship on turbulent waters, cast in stark silver… there’s a sense of foreboding. Editor: I can see that. Its silvery tones certainly lend it a feeling of austere reflection, which ties in nicely when you look into the broader story around its creation. We’re looking at a guild badge, specifically, one bestowed by the Schippersgilde, or Boatmen’s Guild, of ‘s-Hertogenbosch between 1780 and 1781, onto their leader, Claude Antoine Lormier. Curator: It speaks of the powerful symbolism of ships through time—conveyors of people, goods, and ideas. Notice the rope-like design circling the medallion. Such a beautiful, evocative detail, perpetually reminding of maritime travel! I also see an inscription circling the central ship image - could it represent the guild’s values? Editor: Indeed. The inscription in Dutch, translated, alludes to “life’s voyage being shortened”, acting as a memento mori – not unexpected given the often-dangerous lives of 18th-century boatmen and their dependency on sometimes brutal trade conditions. But that single ship also suggests a certain level of societal privilege for guild leaders - removed, somewhat, from their peers and other locals due to economic circumstances, but still subject to many risks from international commerce! Curator: The baroque styling – can’t you just feel it radiating from this guild badge! But within such ornate design, there's this profound focus on mortality and temporality; it certainly shifts how one views the piece. It takes the grandiosity of power, something like a guild badge, and adds such humbling contrast with a potent reminder. Editor: Absolutely. It acts almost as an exercise in humility - as powerful as Claude Antoine Lormier may have been as leader of the Schippersgilde, his badge makes plain the limited nature of material authority or influence in light of bigger forces like weather, luck, or economic shifts. Even a gilded position will face eventual ruin. Curator: So much contained in what seems like such a straightforward image! It reveals how art is able to act as a sort of memory container over vast stretches of history - here it reminds both past guild members and present-day viewers to remain conscientious in the present while also being conscious of both the historical and philosophical pasts. Editor: Precisely! It’s a stark reminder that even in the late 18th century, anxieties around life, death, power and fortune weren't all that different. And as climate change now places shipping under renewed scrutiny, the medal seems oddly contemporary in highlighting these industries and our collective fates.