Allegorie op het doolhof van het menselijk onverstand, ca. 1650 1640 - 1660

This allegory on human folly was made around 1650 by an anonymous Dutch artist using etching techniques. The print presents a complex visual and textual argument about the perils of sensory indulgence. The image creates meaning through a series of carefully arranged scenes, each representing one of the five senses. These scenes depict figures engaged in pleasurable activities associated with each sense. At the centre is a maze, symbolising the labyrinthine path of human folly, topped with the phrase 'Good Understanding is the Best Band'. The cultural context of the Dutch Golden Age is crucial here. This era was marked by economic prosperity and a burgeoning merchant class, but also by a strong Calvinist moral code. The print serves as a visual sermon, cautioning against the excesses that could undermine social order. To understand this artwork better, we might explore the religious and philosophical debates of the time, delving into sermons, pamphlets, and emblem books. We can come to see art’s meaning as contingent on its social and institutional context.