Blazoen van De Goudbloem (Vilvoorde), 1561 1561 - 1562

Curator: Looking at "Blazoen van De Goudbloem (Vilvoorde)," made around 1561, you get a powerful impression. The design features an elaborate ship rising from what appears to be a stylized wave or even a face. What strikes you first? Editor: Its darkness. I see heavy black lines forming this vessel—it feels weighed down somehow, yet striving upward with sails labeled ‘Love’. It has such an allegorical aura about it, even without knowing its context. Curator: It's interesting you say that. As an engraving, this print offered a relatively accessible way to distribute imagery and ideas at the time. These 'blazoen' were heraldic or emblematic designs—here, very likely referencing the 'golden flower' in Vilvoorde's name, with the ship symbolizing something crucial to the town. Editor: So, the ship probably represents trade and prosperity… a vessel carrying the hopes of a community, I would suppose. But I can't help notice the dove at the top – the guiding 'inspiration’ – as it steers the ship along. What does ‘conran placio’ translate to in the artwork? Curator: “Conran placio” roughly means meeting place or common area – which again underlines the central idea of trade at that time. You’re quite right—it suggests that these merchants and city planners really felt this was divinely, ‘spiritually’ sanctioned endeavor! It reflects how they wanted to be seen and remembered. Editor: And seeing text interwoven into the design…It almost seems that those written statements cement the ethics behind this heraldic image. This almost works as propaganda promoting local trading? Curator: I like that phrase: “ethics behind the image." In those times imagery and text were more explicitly tied to social responsibility and political power—definitely a way of creating pride. As people read this work or engaged with it physically, I wonder if they felt a renewed energy in their hometown! Editor: It feels oddly modern while still retaining its Old World charm, offering complex thoughts, indeed. Curator: A fitting summary, I would say; it’s amazing how art across eras continues to surprise!