Briefkaart aan Ary Johannes Lamme Possibly 1888

This is a humble piece, a postcard sent by Julius Jacobus van de Sande Bakhuyzen to Ary Johannes Lamme, but even the mundane can reveal the persistence of symbols. At the top left, the Dutch coat of arms immediately captures our attention. A crowned lion rampant, bearing a sword and arrows—a motif laden with power, authority, and national identity. This heraldic emblem is not merely a marker of place, but an invocation of centuries of Dutch history and sovereignty. The lion, a symbol dating back to antiquity, reappears across cultures. From the Lion Gate of Mycenae to the Venetian Lion of Saint Mark, the lion embodies strength and vigilance. Here, on a simple postcard, it echoes the grand narratives of power, subtly reminding us of the enduring human impulse to claim territory and assert dominance through symbolic representation. This is not merely an image; it is a cultural memory, passed down through generations, imbued with the weight of history.