Menukaart voor een diner van het Amsterdamsch Studenten Corps before 1879

This menu card for a dinner of the Amsterdam Student Corps was produced in 1878, likely through lithography. Note the illuminated initial "U," framing a monk indulging directly from a barrel. This image evokes the medieval concept of the "Land of Cockaigne," a mythical place of ease and plenty. Such imagery tapped into deep-seated desires for abundance and release from worldly cares. The act of drinking directly from the source is echoed in Boccaccio's *Decameron*, and Bruegel the Elder's painting *The Land of Cockaigne*. The motif shifts from religious to secular indulgence, reflecting changing social values. The monk’s abandonment to pleasure, a visual manifestation of the id, contrasts sharply with monastic austerity. This tension—between restraint and indulgence—resonates across centuries, reflecting our collective struggle to balance impulse with societal norms. The symbol resurfaces, evolves, and takes on new meanings in different historical contexts.