John Law in een rinkelstoel voor het Lazarushuis, 1720 1720

This anonymous drawing made in 1720 depicts John Law in a so-called "rinkelstoel" or "fool's cart" outside the leper house in Amsterdam. This image creates meaning through visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations. In this period, the Dutch Republic was the center of global finance. This satirical print alludes to the bankruptcy of the Mississippi Company and its founder John Law. The Mississippi Company was a joint stock company that had been granted a monopoly over trade with the French colony of Louisiana. The Company issued shares to the public, and the price of those shares rose rapidly. The print suggests these investors were fools. Law sits enthroned above a monkey in a wheeled chair like the one used for lepers; these patients were social outcasts. On the left a figure raises a glass to the Company. Understanding art requires historical resources such as newspapers, financial reports, and company records to fully grasp the satirical significance of this image. Art is always contingent on social and institutional contexts.