Pride and Stupidity
Original Language TitleOrgueille et Follie
Former TitleLe Follie Orgeveille
Artist
Theodore de Bry
(Flemish, 1528 - 1598)
Dateca. 1570
MediumEngraving
DimensionsImage: 4 3/4 × 4 11/16 inches (12.07 × 11.91 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust
Object number33-1654
On View
Not on viewCollections
Exhibition HistoryArchitecture and Decorative Arts in Prints from the Permanent Collection, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, March 13-April 10, 1983, no. 7c, as Orveille et Follie.
Fashionable Luxuries: French and Italian Textiles, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, August 18, 2008-February 16, 2009; September 28, 2013-February 23, 2014;
Titled Pride and Stupidity, this engraving depicts the profile of a jester, symbolizing stupidity, encircled by biblical scenes. When the central image is rotated, a second face becomes apparent, representing pride. Below is the seven-headed beast from Revelations, and to the right are Adam and Eve with the Tree of Knowledge. At the lower left, a woman stands admiring herself in a mirror beside a peacock, further emphasizing the theme of pride. Primarily known for his imaginative scenes of the newly discovered American continent, de Bry's other work often includes incredible details like the monstrous insects on the upper left side of the print.
Architecture and Decorative Arts in Prints from the Permanent Collection, exh. cat. (Kansas City, MO: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 1983), 2, as Orveille et Follie.
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Theodore de Bry
1592-1593
33-1656
