Smidsgilde van Middelburg, gildepenning met no. 22 1690

This guild badge, created by Willem du Pre, presents a symbolic tableau rich with meaning. At its heart, an anvil stands prominently—a testament to the blacksmith's craft. Flanking it, two serpentine dragons evoke primal energies, guarding the tools of creation. These dragons remind me of the Ouroboros, the ancient symbol of a snake eating its tail, embodying the eternal cycle of destruction and recreation. We see echoes of this cyclical motif across cultures, from Norse mythology's Jörmungandr to alchemical symbols. Consider how the image of the dragon evolved—from a chaotic force of nature to a symbol of wisdom and power. Such transformations remind us that symbols are not fixed; they shift and adapt as collective memory reshapes their meaning. Just as the blacksmith forges metal, so too does culture forge and refashion our understanding of the world. This medal, in its modest form, is a reminder of these enduring transformations.