Jan Jacob Zuidema Broos (1833-1882)

THE ALLEGORY OF WEALTH

60s-70s years of the 19th century
Gouache on paper, 51x38 cm. An allegorical scene depicting the divine cult of wealth: a golden bull enthroned on an altar surrounded by a crowd, in which the various allegorical figures represent different parts of society that participate in the often absurd story of the flow of money. Association pour la culture de la carotte - a society for the cultivation of carrots with the discovery of a tilting system for moving up and down, i.e. a swing - systeme de bascule pour faire la hausse du la baise, figures of corrupt courts and judges also appear, figures of fox-headed monks offering indulgences, or the figure of a gambler, a fat rich man with a lady buying the love of another cavalier for gold, a columnist and a greaser, as well as a man with a powder keg over which hangs a banner "NOUVELLE BOMBE. DESTRUCTION DU GENRE HUMAINE EN 2MINUTES GARANTI" (remarkably clairvoyant), etc... Painterly bravura rendering of a subject that, as seen here, has been troubling people with functioning brains and healthy hearts for over 150 years. So far, it seems, without a significantly positive outcome. Condition B. On the right edge, a tear of app. 2 cm has been restored, broken rolls have been restored.