Korendragers- en -stortersgilde van Amsterdam, gildepenning van Jurrien Sigesmund Hilgendorff 1793

This is a guild badge made in 1793 for Jurrien Sigesmund Hilgendorff, a member of the Amsterdam guild for grain carriers and porters. Notice the figure of a man on one side, bearing a heavy load on his head. This symbol speaks volumes about labor and burden. We see echoes of Atlas, the Titan condemned to carry the world on his shoulders, a motif recurring throughout art history to symbolize endurance and the weight of responsibility. Consider the emotional weight embedded in this image. The burden is not just physical; it represents the struggles and resilience of the working class. This visual language transcends time, reminding us that the human experience of labor is etched into our collective memory, resurfacing in various forms across generations.