Netherlandish Proverbs

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Netherlandish Proverbs (Template:Langx; also called Flemish Proverbs, The Blue Cloak or The Topsy Turvy World) is a 1559 oil-on-oak-panel painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder that depicts a scene in which humans and, to a lesser extent, animals and objects, offer literal illustrations of Dutch-language proverbs and idioms.

Running themes in Bruegel's paintings that appear in Netherlandish Proverbs are the absurdity, wickedness and foolishness of humans. Its original title, The Blue Cloak or The Folly of the World, indicates that Bruegel's intent was not just to illustrate proverbs, but rather to catalogue human folly. Many of the people depicted show the characteristic blank features that Bruegel used to portray fools.[1]

His son, Pieter Brueghel the Younger, specialised in making copies of his father's work and painted at least 16 copies of Netherlandish Proverbs.[2] Not all versions of the painting, by father or son, show exactly the same proverbs and they also differ in other minor details. The original work by Bruegel the Elder is in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin,[3] with the copies in numerous other collections (see below).

History

Context

Proverbs were very popular in Bruegel's time and before; a hundred years before Bruegel's painting, illustrations of proverbs had been popular in the Flemish books of hours.[4] A number of collections were published, including Adagia, by the Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus.[5] The French writer François Rabelais employed significant numbers in his novel Gargantua and Pantagruel, completed in 1564.[6]

The Flemish artist Frans Hogenberg made an engraving illustrating 43 proverbs in around 1558, roughly the same time as Bruegel's painting.[7][8] The work is very similar in composition to Bruegel's and includes certain proverbs (like the Blue Cloak) which also feature prominently in Netherlandish Proverbs.[8] By depicting literal renditions of proverbs in a peasant setting, both artists have shown a "world turned upside down".[8]

Bruegel himself had produced several works, mostly prints and drawings, on the subject of proverbs including Big Fish Eat Little Fish (1556) and Twelve Proverbs (1558), but Netherlandish Proverbs is thought to have been his first large-scale painting on the theme.

The painting

The painting, dated 1559, is considered the best of a series of similar paintings which at one time or other have all previously been attributed to Pieter Bruegel the Elder, has been x-rayed for its underdrawing to compare it to other versions. None of the versions have a provenance going back further than the late 19th century, but Bruegel scholars believe that the paintings are the elder Bruegel's inventions, which all make use of a life-size cartoon with the same underdrawing as that used in the Berlin version.[9] The paintings, which are not inscribed, tease the viewer into guessing proverbs. They are based on 1558 and earlier engravings that are inscribed, in Flemish. The most notable of these regarding the paintings is by Frans Hogenberg, and it is dated 1558 and accompanied by the title Die blau huicke is dit meest ghenaemt, maer des weerelts abvisen he beter betaempt (English: Often called 'The Blue Cloak', this could better be called 'The World's Follies'). The Doetecum brothers produced a print series in 1577 called De Blauwe Huyck. Theodoor Galle also made a print, dated later, with a similar title: Dese wtbeeldinghe wort die blauw hvyck genaemt, maer deze werelts abvysen haer beter betaemt.[10]

Proverbs and idioms

Critics have praised the composition for its ordered portrayal and integrated scene.[8] There are approximately 126 identifiable proverbs and idioms in the scene, although Bruegel may have included others which cannot be determined because of the language change. Some of those incorporated in the painting are still in popular use, for instance "Swimming against the tide", "Banging one's head against a brick wall" and "Armed to the teeth". Many more have faded from use, which makes analysis of the painting harder. "Having one's roof tiled with tarts", for example, which meant to have an abundance of everything and was an image Bruegel would later feature in his painting of the idyllic Land of Cockaigne (1567).

The Blue Cloak, the piece's original title, features in the centre of the piece and is being placed on a man by his wife, indicating that she is cuckolding him. Other proverbs indicate human foolishness. A man fills in a pond after his calf has died. Just above the central figure of the blue-cloaked man, another man carries daylight in a basket. Some of the figures seem to represent more than one figure of speech (whether this was Bruegel's intention or not is unknown), such as the man shearing a sheep in the centre bottom left of the picture. He is sitting next to a man shearing a pig, so represents the expression "One shears sheep and one shears pigs", meaning that one has the advantage over the other, but may also represent the advice "Shear them but don't skin them", meaning make the most of available assets.

List of proverbs and idioms featured in the painting

Expressions featured in the paintingTemplate:Sfn[11]
Proverb/idiom Meaning Area Image
001 To be able to tie even the devil to a pillow (fr)(nl) Obstinacy overcomes everything Lower left File:NP-1.jpg
002 To be a pillar-biter (fr)(nl)(it)(lmo) To be a religious hypocrite Lower left File:NP-2.jpg
003 Never believe someone who carries fire in one hand and water in the other (fr)(nl) To be two-faced and to stir up trouble Lower left File:NP-3.jpg
004 To bang one's head against a brick wall (fr)(nl) To waste one's time on an impossible task Lower left File:NP-6.jpg
005 One foot shod, the other bare(fr)(nl) Balance is paramount Lower left File:NP-68.jpg
006 The sow pulls the bung (fr)(nl) Negligence will be rewarded with disaster Lower left File:NP-4.jpg
007 To bell the cat (fr)(nl) To carry out a dangerous or impractical plan Lower left File:NP-5.jpg
008 To be armed to the teeth (fr)(nl)(de) To be heavily armed Lower left File:NP-5.jpg
009 To put your armor on (fr)(nl) To be angry Lower left File:NP-5.jpg
010 One shears sheep, the other shears pigs (fr)(nl) One has all the advantages, the other none Lower left File:NP-7.jpg
011 Shear them but do not skin them (fr)(nl) Do not press your advantage too far Lower left File:NP-18.jpg
012 The herring does not fry here (nl) It's not going according to plan Lower left File:NP-15.jpg
013 To fry the whole herring for the sake of the roe (fr)(nl) To do too much to achieve a little Lower left File:NP-15.jpg
014 To get the lid on the head (nl) To end up taking responsibility Lower left File:NP-16.jpg
015 The herring hangs by its own gills (fr)(nl) You must accept responsibility for your own actions Lower left File:NP-17.jpg
016 There is more to it than (just) a single herring (nl) There is more to it than meets the eye Lower left File:NP-17.jpg
017 What can smoke do to iron? (fr)(nl) There is no point in trying to change the unchangeable Lower left File:NP-92.jpg
018 To find the dog in the pot (fr)(nl) To arrive too late for dinner and find all the food has been eaten Lower left[note 1] File:NP-109.jpg
019 To sit between two stools in the ashes (fr)(nl)(de) To be indecisive Lower left File:NP-11.jpg
020 To be a hen feeler (fr)(nl) To be very miserly (feeling whether the hen is about to lay an egg before slaughtering it) Middle left File:NP-8.jpg
021 The scissors hang out there (fr)(nl) They are liable to cheat you there Upper left File:NP-10.jpg
022 To always gnaw on a single bone (fr)(nl) To continually talk about the same subject Upper left File:NP-9.jpg
023 It depends on the fall of the cards (fr)(nl) It is up to chance Upper left File:NP-13.jpg
024 The world is turned upside down (fr)(nl)(de) Everything is the opposite of what it should be Upper left File:NP-14.jpg
025 Leave at least one egg in the nest (fr)(nl) Always have something in reserve Upper left File:NP-12.jpg
026 To crap on the world (fr)(nl)(de) To despise everything Upper left File:NP-19.jpg
027 To lead each other by the nose (fr)(nl)(de) To fool each other Upper left File:NP-21.jpg
028 The die is cast (fr)(nl)(de) The decision is made Upper left File:NP-90.jpg
029 Fools get the best cards (fr)(nl) Luck can overcome intelligence Upper left File:NP-20.jpg
030 To look through one's fingers (fr)(nl) To turn a blind eye Upper left File:NP-22.jpg
031 There hangs the knife (fr)(nl) To issue a challenge Upper left File:NP-23.jpg
032 There stand the wooden shoes (fr)(nl) To wait in vain Upper left File:NP-24.jpg
033 To stick out the broom (fr)(nl) To have fun while the master is away Upper left File:NP-25.jpg
034 To marry under the broomstick (fr)(nl) To live together without marrying Upper left File:NP-26.jpg
035 To have the roof tiled with tarts (fr)(nl) To be very wealthy Upper left File:NP-27.jpg
036 To have a hole in one's roof (fr)(nl)(de) To be unintelligent Upper left File:NP-104.jpg
037 An old roof needs a lot of patching up (fr)(nl) Old things need more maintenance Upper left File:NP-105.jpg
038 The roof has laths(fr)(nl) There could be eavesdroppers (The walls have ears) Middle left File:NP-103.jpg
039 To have toothache behind the ears(fr)(nl) To be a malingerer Middle left File:NP-29.jpg
040 To be pissing against the moon(fr)(nl) To waste one's time on a futile endeavour Middle left File:NP-32.jpg
041 Here hangs the pot(fr)(nl) It is the opposite of what it should be Middle left File:NP-106.jpg
042 To shoot a second bolt to find the first(fr)(nl) To repeat a foolish action Upper left File:NP-28.jpg
043 To shave the fool without lather(fr)(nl) To trick somebody Middle File:NP-30.jpg
044 Two fools under one hood(fr)(nl) Stupidity loves company Middle File:NP-34.jpg
045 It grows out of the window(fr)(nl) It cannot be concealed Middle File:NP-33.jpg
046 To play on the pillory(fr)(nl) To attract attention to one's shameful acts Upper middle File:NP-31.jpg
047 When the gate is open the pigs will run into the corn(fr)(nl) Disaster ensues from carelessness Upper middle File:NP-40.jpg
048 When the corn decreases the pig increases If one person gains then another must lose Upper middle File:NP-40.jpg
049 To run like one's backside is on fire(fr)(nl) To be in great distress Upper middle File:NP-94.jpg
050 He who eats fire, craps sparks Do not be surprised at the outcome if you attempt a dangerous venture Upper middle File:NP-94.jpg
051 To hang one's cloak according to the wind(fr)(nl)(de) To adapt one's viewpoint to the current opinion Upper middle File:NP-39.jpg
052 To toss feathers in the wind (fr)(nl) To work fruitlessly Upper middle File:NP-42.jpg
053 To gaze at the stork(fr)(nl) To waste one's time Upper middle File:NP-38.jpg
054 To try to kill two flies with one stroke(fr)(nl)(de) To be efficient (equivalent to today's To kill two birds with one stone) Upper middle File:NP-43.jpg
055 To fall from the ox onto the rear end of an ass(fr)(nl) To fall on hard times Upper middle File:NP-35.jpg
056 To kiss the ring of the door (fr)(nl) To be obsequious Upper middle File:NP-37.jpg
057 To wipe one's backside on the door (nl) To treat something lightly Upper middle File:NP-36.jpg
058 To go around shouldering a burden (fr) (nl) To imagine that things are worse than they are Upper middle File:NP-36.jpg
059 One beggar pities the other standing in front of the door(nl) Being afraid for competition Upper middle File:NP-91.jpg
060 To fish behind the net (fr)(nl) To miss an opportunity Middle File:NP-47.jpg
061 Sharks eat smaller fish (fr)(nl) Anything people say will be put in perspective according to their level of importance Middle File:NP-48.jpg
062 To be unable to see the sun shine on the water(fr)(nl) To be jealous of another's success Middle File:NP-60.jpg
063 It hangs like a privy over a ditch (fr)(nl) Something that is extremely obvious Middle File:NP-112.jpg
064 Anybody can see through an oak plank if there is a hole in it (fr)(nl) There is no point in stating the obvious Middle File:NP-45.jpg
065 They both crap through the same hole (fr)(nl) They are inseparable comrades Middle File:NP-46.jpg
066 To throw one's money into the water(fr)(nl) To waste one's money Middle File:NP-61.jpg
067 A wall with cracks will soon collapse(fr)(nl) Anything poorly managed will soon fail Middle right File:NP-93.jpg
068 To not care whose house is on fire as long as one can warm oneself at the blaze(fr)(nl) To take every opportunity regardless of the consequences to others Middle right File:NP-44.jpg
069 To drag the block(fr)(nl) To be deceived by a lover or to work at a pointless task Upper right File:NP-50.jpg
070 Fear makes the old woman trot(fr)(nl) An unexpected event can reveal unknown qualities Upper right File:NP-49.jpg
071 Horse droppings are not figs (fr)(nl) Do not be fooled by appearances Upper right File:NP-53.jpg
072 If the blind lead the blind both will fall in the ditch(fr)(nl) There is no point in being guided by others who are equally ignorant Upper right File:NP-51.jpg
073 The journey is not yet over when one can discern the church and steeple (fr)(nl) Do not give up until the task is fully complete Upper right File:NP-52.jpg
074 Everything, however finely spun, finally comes to the sun(nl) Nothing can be hidden forever Upper right File:NP-111.jpg
075 To keep one's eye on the sail(fr)(nl) To stay alert, be wary Upper right File:NP-54.jpg
076 To crap on the gallows(fr)(nl) To be undeterred by any penalty Upper right File:NP-55.jpg
077 Where the carcass is, there fly the crows(fr)(nl) If there's something to be gained, everyone hurries in front Upper right File:NP-113.jpg
078 It is easy to sail before the wind(fr)(nl) If conditions are favourable it is not difficult to achieve one's goal Upper right File:NP-54.jpg
079 Who knows why geese go barefoot?(fr)(nl) There is a reason for everything, though it may not be obvious Upper right File:NP-56.jpg
080 If I am not meant to be their keeper, I will let geese be geese Do not interfere in matters that are not your concern Upper right File:NP-56.jpg
081 To see bears dancing[note 2](fr)(nl) To be starving Right File:NP-57.jpg
082 Wild bears prefer each other's company[note 2](nl) Peers get along better with each other than with outsiders Right File:NP-57.jpg
083 To throw one's cowl over the fence(fr)(nl) To discard something without knowing whether it will be required later Right File:NP-66.jpg
084 It is ill to swim against the current(fr)(nl)(de) It is difficult to oppose the general opinion Right File:NP-65.jpg
085 The pitcher goes to the water until it finally breaks(fr)(nl)(de) Everything has its limitations Right NP-95.jpg
086 The broadest straps are cut from someone else's leather (fr)(nl) One is quick to another's money. Right File:NP-67.jpg
087 To hold an eel by the tail(fr)(nl) To undertake a difficult task (Compare: "Catch a tiger by the tail") Right File:NP-62.jpg
088 To fall through the basket(fr)(nl) To have your deception uncovered Right File:NP-59.jpg
089 To be suspended between heaven and earth(fr)(nl)(de) To be in an awkward situation Right File:NP-59.jpg
090 To keep the hen's egg and let the goose's egg go(fr)(nl) To make a bad decision Right File:NP-63.jpg
091 To yawn against the oven(fr)(nl) To attempt more than one can manage Lower right File:NP-64.jpg
092 To be barely able to reach from one loaf to another(fr)(nl) To have difficulty living within budget Lower right File:NP-69.jpg
093 A hoe without a handle(fr)(nl) Probably something useless[note 3] Lower right File:NP-96.jpg
094 To look for the hatchet(fr)(nl) To try to find an excuse Lower right File:NP-71.jpg
095 Here he is with his lantern(fr)(nl) To finally have an opportunity to show a talent Lower right File:NP-71.jpg
096 A hatchet with a handle(fr)(nl) Probably signifies "the whole thing"[note 3] Lower right File:NP-97.jpg
097 He who has spilt his porridge cannot scrape it all up again(fr)(nl) Once something is done it cannot be undone (Compare: "Don't cry over spilt milk") Lower right File:NP-70.jpg
098 To put a spoke through someone's wheel(fr)(nl) To put up an obstacle, to destroy someone's plans Lower right File:NP-73.jpg
099 Love is on the side where the money bag hangs(fr)(nl) Love can be bought Lower right File:NP-107.jpg
100 To pull to get the longest end(fr)(nl) To attempt to get the advantage Lower right File:NP-74.jpg
101 To stand in one's own light(fr)(nl) To behave contrarily to one's own happiness or advantage Lower right File:NP-72.jpg
102 No one looks for others in the oven who has not been in there himself(fr)(nl) To imagine wickedness in others is a sign of wickedness in oneself Lower right File:NP-72.jpg
103 To have the world spinning on one's thumb(fr)(nl) To have every advantage (Compare: "To have the world in the palm of your hand") Lower right File:NP-85.jpg
104 To tie a flaxen beard to the face of Christ(fr)(nl) To hide deceit under a veneer of Christian piety Lower right File:NP-58.jpg
105 To have to stoop to get on in the world(fr)(nl) To succeed one must be willing to make sacrifices Lower right File:NP-84.jpg
106 To cast roses before swine(fr)(nl)(de) To waste effort on the unworthy Lower middle File:NP-79.jpg
107 To fill the well after the calf has already drowned(fr)(nl) To take action only after a disaster (Compare: "Shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted") Lower middle File:NP-75.jpg
108 To be as gentle as a lamb(fr)(nl)(de) Someone who is exceptionally calm or gentle Lower middle File:NP-101.jpg
109 She puts the blue cloak on her husband(fr)(nl) She deceives him Lower middle File:NP-76.jpg
110 Watch out that a black dog does not come in between(fr)(nl) Mind that things don't go wrong Lower middle File:NP-110.jpg
111 One winds on the distaff what the other spins(fr)(nl) Both spread gossip Lower middle File:NP-77.jpg
112 To carry the day out in baskets(fr)(nl)(de) To waste one's time (Compare: "to carry coals to Newcastle" and "to sell sand in the desert") (de) Middle File:NP-78.jpg
113 To hold a candle to the Devil(fr)(nl)(de) To flatter and make friends indiscriminately (de) Middle File:NP-80.jpg
114 To confess to the Devil(fr)(nl)(de) To reveal secrets to one's enemy (de) Middle File:NP-81.jpg
115 The pig is stabbed through the belly(fr)(nl) A foregone conclusion or what is done can not be undone Middle File:NP-83.jpg
116 Two dogs over one bone seldom agree(fr)(nl) To argue over a single point Middle File:NP-82.jpg
117 When two dogs fight out who gets the bone,the third one steals it(fr)(nl) To fight or argue guarantees loss. Middle File:NP-82.jpg
118 To be a skimming ladle(fr)(nl) To be a parasite or sponger Middle File:NP-102.jpg
119 What is the good of a beautiful plate when there is nothing on it?(fr)(nl) Beauty does not make up for substance Middle File:NP-99.jpg
120 The Fox and the Stork or The Fox and the Crane dine together(fr)(nl) If you trick someone they might get back at you[note 4] Middle File:NP-87.jpg
121 To blow in the ear(fr)(nl) To spread gossip Middle File:NP-114.jpg
122 Chalk up a debt(fr)(nl)(de) To owe someone a favour Middle File:NP-100.jpg
123 The meat on the spit must be basted(fr)(nl) Certain things need constant attention Middle File:NP-116.jpg
124 There is no turning the spit with him(fr)(nl) He is uncooperative Middle File:NP-115.jpg
125 To sit on hot coals(fr)(nl)(de) To be impatient Middle File:NP-88.jpg
126 To catch fish without a net(fr)(nl) To profit from the work of others Middle File:NP-117.jpg

Inspiration for other paintings

T. E. Breitenbach's 1975 painting Proverbidioms was inspired by this Dutch painting to depict English proverbs and idioms.

A 2014 illustration from the Hong Kong magazine Passion Times illustrates dozens of Cantonese proverbs.[12][13]

In popular culture

The painting is featured on the album cover of Fleet Foxes self-titled first full-length album (2008).

Gallery

See also

Notes

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  1. ↑ The lighting makes it almost impossible to make out the dog.
  2. ↑ a b The exact proverb depicted is not known with certainty.
  3. ↑ a b The exact meaning of the proverb is not known.
  4. ↑ This proverb derives from Aesop's Fables The Fox and the Crane.

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Footnotes

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  8. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Breughel Enterprises, 2001-2002 exhibition on the work of Pieter Brueghel II's copies after his father's works, Historians of Netherlandish Art review
  10. ↑ C. C. Barfoot and Richard Todd, The Great Emporium: the Low Countries as a cultural crossroads in the Renaissance and the eighteenth century (1992), p. 128; Google Books.
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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References

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  • Dundes, Alan and Claudia A. Stibbe (1981). The Art of Mixing Metaphors: A Folkloristic Interpretation of the Netherlandish Proverbs by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Helsinki: Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia Academia Scientiarum Fennica. Template:ISBN.

Further reading

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External links

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