Adriaen Pietersz. Van de Venne (1589-1662): 'T wil al raapen', oil on panel

Work: 84 x 51,8 cm

This fascinating painting bears the title 'T wil al raapen', which is an interesting language game. The central theme is a man who pours out a basket of turnips, and people who are picking up the turnips. In Dutch, the word for turnips and 'to pick up' is the same word: rapen (or in the old spelling 'raapen'). It becomes even more fun if the pope can also be spotted among the 'grabbing' crowd on the far left. The turnips can of course be seen as a substitute for money.