Handelsetiket van Govert Ketelaer c. 1681 - 1740

This is a trade label of Govert Ketelaer by Isaac Vincentsz. van der Vinne, created with etching. The symbols here evoke fertility and growth: note the cross, traditionally associated with sacrifice and resurrection, now repurposed to signify prosperity and trade success. The bucket holding wheat alludes to abundance, echoing images of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, whose cornucopia overflows with earthly bounty. The symbol, rooted in antiquity, resurfaces time and again, for instance, in medieval harvest festivals. Yet, something is at play here beyond surface representation. The wheat, isolated in its container, hints at the anxieties of cultivation. Consider the collective memory of famine—a deep-seated fear that manifests in the subconscious mind—even amid apparent abundance. It’s a non-linear, cyclical progression: from ancient rites to mercantile symbolism, continually evolving and taking on new meanings through history.