Bronze Age Gold from Wales
A Dutch interior
This housewife is busy embroidering and selecting vegetables from a pail. But she may not be as virtuous as she appears. The artist Brekelenkam specialized in small-scale interiors, often with hidden meanings. The Dutch verb 'naaien' (to sew) also means to copulate, while onions were considered to be aphrodisiacs. Cut flowers warn against short-lived pleasures and closed books suggest human ignorance. The bed in the background suggests this woman may be a prostitute.
Collection Area
Art
Item Number
NMW A 3736
Measurements
Height
(cm): 60
Width
(cm): 76.5
Depth
(cm): 5.7
Height
(in): 23
Width
(in): 30
Depth
(in): 2
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