Allegorie op het 25-jarig regeringsjubileum van koning Willem III, 1874 1874

This allegorical print by Johan Michaël Schmidt Crans was made in 1874 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of King Willem III’s reign. The central motif is the bust of the King, adorned with a laurel wreath by a draped female figure, while a lion rests at the base. The laurel, a symbol since ancient Greece, signifies victory and honor, an evergreen emblem of eternal triumph, here bestowed upon the monarch. Note how the lion, a heraldic symbol of strength and courage, often associated with royalty, rests peacefully. This powerful animal embodies the protective nature of the Dutch monarchy. The draped woman in mourning, tending the bust, echoes similar gestures seen in Roman funerary art. This harks back to earlier displays of devotion, yet with a sense of gravity. Here, the collective memory engages with the archetype of honoring leadership. The weight of history, viewed through a melancholic lens, reveals the complex, cyclical nature of power and legacy.