Balanskinderen- of waagwerkersgilde van Middelburg, gildepenning met no. 30 1674

This is a lead guild badge for the Balanskinderen- of waagwerkersgilde of Middelburg, created in 1673 by an anonymous maker. Guilds were associations of craftsmen or merchants, and they played a significant role in the economic and social life of the Dutch Republic. This guild was for children who carried goods to be weighed. Here we see a symbol of justice on one side, a set of scales, and on the other, images of commodities like butter, cheese and herring, that needed weighing. These visual elements speak volumes about the world of labor, trade, and the societal structures of the time. It serves not only as an artifact of the Dutch Golden Age, but as a potent reminder of how daily life was structured by civic organizations. The badge offers a lens through which we can consider how social roles were defined and regulated, and what meaning these associations held for those who belonged to them.