Plaquette van gips, ontwerp voor een penning: trekpaarden met opschrift SIC VOS NON VOBIS 1876 - 1947

Lambertus Zijl made this plaster plaque, a design for a medal, with its team of draught horses and the inscription "SIC VOS NON VOBIS," sometime in the early 20th century. You can see the hand of the artist so clearly here in the rough, unpolished texture of the plaster. It’s a piece about process, about the labor of making as much as the labor of the horses. The surface is a shallow relief, so the image feels almost ghost-like. The forms are there, but they're subtle, emerging from the ground like memories. Look closely at the horses; you can almost feel the weight of them, pulling, straining. That phrase, "SIC VOS NON VOBIS" - it means "Thus do you labor, but not for yourselves." It adds another layer, a kind of melancholy, like a memento mori. It reminds me a bit of Rodin, that same interest in the body, in movement, in the weight of existence, but with a quieter, more domestic feel. This piece embraces ambiguity, inviting you to bring your own thoughts and feelings to it.