Netherlandish Proverbs

In 1559 the Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder painted the panel Nederlandse Spreekwoorden including on it literal illustrations of more than a hundred Dutch language proverbs.

Many of these proverbs focus on the absurdity of much of our human behaviour and Bruegel's renditions reinforce this interpretation portraying a world literally turned upside down. At the same time some of the more serious proverbs illustrate the dangers of folly, which leads to sin.

We've created this interactive version of the analog painting so you can playfully discover the tons of popular wisdom buried on it. Enjoy!

Made with ♥ by Analog