Vier wapenschilden en een deel van het wapen van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden 1865 - 1936

Nicolaas van der Waay created this watercolor of heraldic designs, titled 'Vier wapenschilden en een deel van het wapen van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden,' but its exact date remains unknown. The composition arranges various heraldic shields across the paper, each displaying distinct symbols and colors, set against the bare paper. These shields are rendered with careful attention to detail. Van der Waay employs symmetry and asymmetry to structure the composition. The fragmented nature of some shields destabilizes the conventional understanding of heraldry as a symbol of order and identity. The choice of watercolor, with its fluidity and potential for blending, softens the rigid forms typically associated with heraldry, while still alluding to their structural design. The fragmented shields suggest a commentary on the fragility of national identity and the constructed nature of symbolic representation, inviting us to consider how historical symbols are reinterpreted. The incomplete forms challenge any fixed meaning.