Timmerliedengilde van Amsterdam, gildepenning van J. Molman 1779

This small, anonymous guild badge, likely made of brass, presents two distinct yet related visual fields. On one side, a heraldic crest looms above the inscription "J. Molman 1779," the lettering carefully etched against the metal’s subdued sheen. The other side depicts Joseph, leading a donkey with Mary and the Christ Child, rendered in a style that evokes both classical relief and popular religious imagery. The badge’s structure, its circular form and double-sided nature, prompts a semiotic reading. The crest and inscription denote identity and authority within the guild system, a visual language of belonging and status. Joseph’s flight to Egypt signifies not just religious narrative but also themes of refuge, skill, and craft moving across borders. The choice of such imagery speaks to the guild’s self-perception, blending civic pride with moral and religious values. The worn materiality further underscores its function as a marker of identity, carried and displayed, its meaning accruing through repeated use and social exchange.