Wooden painted plate - "Narrenteller"

Wooden painted plate (Fools’ plate), Dutch/German school, 16th century.
Diameter 36,5 cm.

Such extremely rare examples of Dutch plate paintings can only be found in a few collections.
Stylistically they are related to the tondo paintings we know by Brueghel or Matthieu van Helmont, with similar humorous depictions. Often, as here, silly figures are shown which usually have the character of a proverb.

Heavily hollowed, the border features two pseudo-coats of arms of the client, as well as grapes, pears and apples. In the center are two silly figures: a man with a dog and a hat that serves as a stork's nest. The woman with a pointed hat and distaff, an empty glass in her hand. A flying bird among the figures. The symbolism comes from a 15th century manuscript (in: J.F. Willems, 'Belgian Museum for the Dutch Dutch language and literature', Ghent 1839) with following text : ‘Een man die een scoon wijf heeft, (…) ende men hem dan sijn wijf ontbruudt (…) so dat ter kennissen comt, int clare : / dats een recht bont houdevare’ Translation : 'A man who has a beautiful wife, (...) and then his wife is betrothed (...) so that it is known, int clare : / that is a straight fur houdevare’. A female stork had several males. A dog symbolized both loyalty and disloyalty. Her raised empty glass (“vulva”) and spinning stick show that the woman is quite inclined to love and does not shy away from taking the initiative to do so. On the edge, the fruit represent transience.

A plate in the collections of the Berlin State Museums, Köpenick Castle (1520/30), bears a motif with the same theme. Further examples in the museums Alkmaar, Prado Madrid, Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nuremberg etc. A.R.
The scenes of these plates are mostly copied from engravings by e.g. Maarten van Cleve and were called “teljoorprent”.

Comparanda :
Artcurial - Paris - 09-11-2022 - Lot 178

Provenance :
Collection Aad Penders.