Ape-like Creature Supporting an Escutcheon, from the Top of a Balustrade or the Backrest of the Stadholder’s Chair in the Rolzaal in the Hof van Holland, The Hague 1511

This intriguing wooden sculpture of an ape-like creature holding an escutcheon was crafted by Joost Janszoon, likely as part of the Stadholder’s chair in the Hof van Holland, The Hague. This piece offers a glimpse into the complex relationship between humans and animals in the cultural imagination. In the context of the Dutch court, the figure of an ape could have had multiple meanings. Apes were often seen as symbols of both the exotic and the base, embodying curiosity and intelligence, but also licentiousness. The ape’s presence in the Stadholder’s chair suggests a statement about power, and perhaps the tensions between civilization and nature. With its expressive face and posture, the sculpture invites us to consider the boundaries we draw between ourselves and the animal world, and how those boundaries reflect broader social hierarchies.