The Quacksalver

Quacksalvers (from which the modern term "quack" is derived) were itinerant charlatans who frequented Dutch village festivals and rural precincts, hawking dubious medical remedies. Here, to impress prospective buyers, this charlatan has made an attempt to appear refined and worldly by dressing in a ruff and cape. He stands before a barrel upon which he has placed a forged document as evidence of his medical credentials. Among the spectators, the man in a tall hat and a child to his right have placed a hand inside their jackets. Based on the description of a slothful man in Proverbs 19:24, the Protestant Dutch who valued resourcefulness and hard work considered this gesture to be a sign of idleness.