Mannen om een tafel met daarop een boek 1483 - 1531

Hans Burgkmair created this woodcut depicting men around a table sometime around the turn of the 16th century. The dominant symbols are the blindfolds worn by the figures and the chests labeled "Honesty/Justice" and "Usury." These blindfolds are striking, reminiscent of the blindfolded figure of Fortuna, the Roman goddess of fate. Yet here, they suggest a deliberate ignorance or willful blindness to ethical considerations. The men, seemingly driven by greed—as indicated by the chest labeled "Usury"—are blind to the consequences of their actions. The motif of blindness appears in many forms throughout history, from Oedipus blinding himself to the blindfolded Justice. It speaks to the human condition, where insight and ignorance, justice and corruption, are perpetually intertwined. Burgkmair’s woodcut taps into this deeper vein of cultural memory, engaging viewers on a profound, subconscious level. This image is not merely a snapshot of a particular time but an enduring comment on human nature, a recurring drama played out across history.