Allegory of Wealth, Lust and Stupidity 1560 - 1603

Joos van Winghe sketched this "Allegory of Wealth, Lust and Stupidity" using pen and brown ink with brown wash. Observe the crowned figure, weighed down not by glory but by the trappings of earthly power, even as another tries to adorn him further. This motif of misguided adornment, reminiscent of the crowning of false idols, echoes through art history from ancient fertility rituals to Renaissance pageantry. The mirror held by the figure on the right speaks to vanity, a timeless symbol of self-obsession. The motif resonates with the classical myth of Narcissus, forever transfixed by his reflection, and appears in countless moral allegories across the ages. Consider how such symbols evolve. What was once a straightforward emblem of pride can, in another era, become a comment on the fleeting nature of beauty. Such shifts reflect our collective anxieties and desires, continually projected onto these enduring symbols.