A member of The Arts Society
Double dutch symbols, emblems, double-entendre in Dutch Paintings
Presented by Lynne Gibson
(8th April 2025)
Dutch Genre painting reflects the maxim that Art should be a window on the World. Pictures of everyday life, houses, shops, maids and inns became popular in the late 16th and 17th century. This style developed from the Renaissance and subsequent Reformation resulting in liberation from the religious thrall that Europe had been under for centuries. Calvinist Northern Europe put aside putti and saints in their art wanting a more visceral way to show off their new found mercantile wealth. This art also our speaker debated, contained myriad double entendre.
Emblem books are collections of three elements: an icon or image, a motto, and text explaining the connection between the image and motto. These were common in 16th and 17th century. Lynne has studied with European colleagues, the links between Dutch genre art and emblem books and illustrated her talk with many examples.
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The Dutch as a nation were literate, often including the household staff, and enjoyed the secret messages in the pictures and the emblem books. For example, an empty chair meant a visitor was expected. A closed birdcage represented chastity, an open cage that virtue had flown (in Christian art the cage often represented the body trapping the human soul.) A full bellied jug was an image associated with pregnancy. Pearl earrings were associated with physical love. Brick foot warmers under the skirt assured a warm welcome. Cats featured frequently and were code for promiscuity. A hunting cat may have been after more than food. Our speaker suggested that perhaps that is the origin of women being referred to as “duck” or “bird“as in prey. Some artists went further and put small copulating dogs in the back ground in case the message had been too subtle!
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It was a fun talk and we were shown many stunning examples of genre art which could be enjoyed on a purely visual level but I suspect many of us will now look a little closer and these pictures and smile as we “read” them.
Lucy Picton-Turbervill
