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Allegory of Wealth, Lust and Folly
Public domain

Allegory of Wealth, Lust and Folly

1588 · engraving; paper

From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

An interior of a house. At a table sit King Midas, as the personification of folly and greed, and the female personification of Wealth. Midas is counting his money, while a jester, the personification of Folly, puts a fool's cap on him. Wealth looks at her reflection in a mirror and sees an old woman. A lady with the head of a pig pours her wine. Another woman with a parrot on her arm waves her a fan of cool air (she personifies artificial praise or flattery).

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own description
Subjects
printFlattery'Adulatione' (Ripa)monkeys, apesornamental birds: parrotWealth, Opulence'Opulenza', 'Richezza' (Ripa)Folly, Foolishness
Credit lineAllegorie op rijkdom, wellust en domheid. 1588. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Public domain.
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