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Lot Essay
The place name of 'Malleghem' in title of this print - not be confused with Maldegem in East Flanders - would have been understood to mean 'village of fools', malle being Dutch for 'foolish' or 'silly'. However, the inventory of Hieronymus Cock's widow Volcxken Diericx suggests that the original title was De Keisnijder (lit. 'stonecutter'). Stonecutters were quacksalvers promising to cure the afflicted through spurious operations - anyone who behaved strangely was said to have 'a stone in his head' (Marijnissen 1988 and Orenstein 2006 [cit.], Sellink, p. 125). In this engraving Bruegel combines the popular genre of lampooning the quacksalver with a satirical dig at human folly in general. The image incorporates several proverbs that have a bearing on the subject, though some details are yet to be explained or interpreted.
At the lower left an apothecary looks glumly on, as potential customers consult his rival. A woman, perhaps his wife, shows him the stone she just had removed. The figure kneeling under the table is a witty reminder that we are all deluded in the end. With a joker up his sleeve to signify deceit, he points at the bowl from which the quacksalver takes the stones.
At the lower left an apothecary looks glumly on, as potential customers consult his rival. A woman, perhaps his wife, shows him the stone she just had removed. The figure kneeling under the table is a witty reminder that we are all deluded in the end. With a joker up his sleeve to signify deceit, he points at the bowl from which the quacksalver takes the stones.