The Triumph of Riches from The Cycle of Vicissitudes of Human Affairs
Cornelis Cort (Flemish, 1533-1578) after Maarten van Heemskerck (Dutch, 1498-1574), Antwerp: Apud Ioannem Gallaeum, 1638, Engraving
By 1720, images of processions and chariots had long served as symbols of the propulsive forces of capitalism. Bubble caricaturists in search of sources to mine needed to look no further than the compositions of Maarten van Heemskerck. This triumphal carriage was designed for a festival in Antwerp whose purpose was to illustrate, for an increasingly commercial society, the evils of money. Prefiguring the prominence of Fortuna and other malevolent goddesses who recur in bubble prints, the female figure of Opulence rides high on her chariot. At its helm is Guile, joined by Usury and a host of other allegorical beings. These include the steeds Fraud and Rapine, the bubble-blowing figure of Idle Pleasure, the two-faced Betrayal, and the phallus-clutching Lust.
: The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints, and Photographs
The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries.
