Korbeel van eikenhout waarop in reliëf de Waarheid (veritas)
ca. 1550 - ca. 1600
Medium
oak (wood)
Dimensions
79; 45; 34
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Korbeel van eikenhout, waarop in reliëf De Waarheid (veritas), een vrouw met een spiegel, staande op acanthusblad onder een baldakijn afgebeeld is. Afkomstig uit het afgebroken huis Warmoesstraat 145 te Amsterdam.
Art Historical Context
This exquisite oak bread chest, or *korbeel*, dating from around 1550–1600, exemplifies the Renaissance fusion of everyday utility and artistic splendor in the Low Countries. Carved anonymously, its front features a finely detailed low-relief sculpture of *Veritas* (Truth),ified as a graceful woman holding a mirror—symbolizing self-reflection and honesty—poised on undulating acanthus leaves beneath an ornate baldachin canopy. At 45 cm high, 34 cm wide, and 79 cm deep, this functional household item transformed mundane bread storage into a moral emblem, reflecting the era's humanist values where virtues adorned domestic spaces. Originating from the now-demolished house at Warmoesstraat 145 in Amsterdam, the chest offers a glimpse into 16th-century urban life amid the Dutch Golden Age's early stirrings. Oak, a durable local wood prized for its grain and workability, allowed intricate relief carving that catches the light, enhancing the figure's ethereal presence. Such pieces were status symbols for prosperous merchants, blending Northern Renaissance naturalism with symbolic depth—acanthus evoking classical antiquity and eternal truth. Today, this survivor from Amsterdam's vibrant past invites us to ponder how art wove morality into the hearth, reminding visitors that beauty once rose daily with the morning loaf.
About the Artist
anonymous
In the vast tapestry of art history, "Anonymous" stands not as a singular individual but as a collective designation for countless unidentified creators whose works have endured across millennia. These artists, spanning prehistoric cave painters to medieval illuminators and folk craftsmen, produced the foundational layers of human visual culture. Prior to the Renaissance, when individual fame emer...