Large Pendant in the Form of a Wheel 

This etching by Daniel Mignot, realized around 1600, presents a design for a large pendant dominated by the wheel motif. The wheel, a symbol laden with historical weight, here radiates from a central point, its spokes adorned with precious stones, reflecting both status and perhaps spiritual connotations of cyclical existence. Consider the wheel not merely as ornament, but as a potent symbol echoing through time. In ancient cultures, the wheel represented the sun, a god, or even the endless cycle of life and death, seen in Buddhist dharma wheels and the Celtic sun wheels. The wheel's evolution from a symbol of cosmic order to a decorative motif displays how cultural memory persists, adapting to new forms and contexts. The recurring presence of the wheel across epochs speaks to our collective subconscious, an eternal return of symbols that tap into deep-seated human concerns about time, fate, and the cosmos. Mignot’s design thus becomes more than just a piece of jewelry; it is a microcosm of enduring human symbols.