Gevel van de woning van Joannes Laprei te Middelburg in de Kapoenstraat after 1802

Lodewijk Gilles Haccou sketched this facade of Joannes Laprei's house on Kapoenstraat in Middelburg. The inscription above the windows reads "de drie bare gesichten", or "the three bare faces". Consider this curious naming. The face, a symbol of identity, is here multiplied. "Three" evokes a sense of community and familial bonds, suggesting a residence defined by its inhabitants' shared identity. Yet, the term "bare" strips away pretense, hinting at vulnerability. This paradox—identity both shared and exposed—resonates with the intimate lives lived within these walls. Such faces echo through history, from the Roman Janus, guarding thresholds, to Renaissance portraits capturing the soul. Each era reinterprets the human visage, layering new meanings onto this primal symbol. Like echoes in a hall of mirrors, this image reflects our collective yearning to understand ourselves, our place in the world, and the stories etched upon our faces.