Verbranding van Johannes Hus 1725

This is a lead medal created by Jean Dassier, depicting the burning of Jan Hus. The medal shows Hus in profile wearing a scholar's cap, while the inscription on the reverse translates to 'Jan Hus of Bohemia, Theologian, Burned Alive. Public Faith Violated, Constance 1415.' The act of burning, a public spectacle, carries profound symbolic weight across cultures. Consider the intensity of purification and destruction, a dualistic power that evokes both dread and catharsis. The burning of Jan Hus is a visual echo of countless historical and mythological immolations, each bearing its own narrative of sacrifice, martyrdom, or cleansing. Observe how the depiction of Hus, though a portrait, transforms into an archetype of defiance, a timeless symbol of standing against perceived injustice. The act of martyrdom serves as a potent cultural memory. It's a recurring motif that surfaces throughout history, connecting individual suffering with collective identity and resistance. Through such imagery, history becomes a theater of recurring passions, a cycle of persecution and defiance.