Netherlandish Proverbs

Netherlandish Proverbs

Artist	Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Year	1559
Type	Oil-on-panel
Dimensions	117 cm × 163 cm (46 in × 64 in)
Location	Gemäldegalerie, Berlin

Netherlandish Proverbs (Dutch: Nederlandse Spreekwoorden; also called Flemish Proverbs, The Blue Cloak or The Topsy Turvy World) is a 1559 oil-on-oak-panel painting by the Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder that depicts a scene in which humans and, to a lesser extent, animals and objects, offer literal illustrations of Dutch language proverbs and idioms.

Running themes in Bruegel's paintings are the absurdity, wickedness and foolishness of humans, and this is no exception. The painting's original title, The Blue Cloak or The Folly of the World, indicates that Bruegel's intent was not just to illustrate proverbs, but rather to catalog human folly. Many of the people depicted show the characteristic blank features that Bruegel used to portray fools.

His son, Pieter Brueghel the Younger, specialised in making copies of his father's work and painted at least 16 copies of Netherlandish Proverbs. Not all versions of the painting, by father or son, show exactly the same proverbs and they also differ in other minor details.

History

Netherlandish Proverbs

Context

Proverbs were very popular in Bruegel's time and before; a hundred years before Bruegel's painting, illustrations of proverbs had been popular in the Flemish books of hours. A number of collections were published, including Adagia, by the Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus. The French writer François Rabelais employed significant numbers in his novel Gargantua and Pantagruel, completed in 1564.

The Flemish artist Frans Hogenberg made an engraving illustrating 43 proverbs in around 1558, roughly the same time as Bruegel's painting. The work is very similar in composition to Bruegel's and includes certain proverbs (like the blue cloak) which also feature prominently in Netherlandish Proverbs. By depicting literal renditions of proverbs in a peasant setting, both artists have shown a "world turned upside down".

Bruegel himself had painted several minor paintings on the subject of proverbs including Big Fish Eat Little Fish (1556) and Twelve Proverbs (1558), but Netherlandish Proverbs is thought to have been his first large-scale painting on the theme.

Proverbs and idioms

Critics have praised the composition for its ordered portrayal and integrated scene. There are approximately 112 identifiable proverbs and idioms in the scene, although Bruegel may have included others which cannot be determined. Some of those incorporated in the painting are still in popular use, for instance "Swimming against the tide", "Banging one's head against a brick wall" and "Armed to the teeth", and there are some that are familiar if not identical to the modern English usage such as "casting roses before swine". Many more have faded from use or have never been used in English. "Having one's roof tiled with tarts", for example, which meant to have an abundance of everything and was an image Bruegel would later feature in his painting of the idyllic Land of Cockaigne (1567).

The Blue Cloak, the piece's original title, features in the centre of the piece and is being placed on a man by his wife, indicating that she is cuckolding him. Other proverbs indicate human foolishness. A man fills in a pond after his calf has died. Just above the central figure of the blue-cloaked man another man carries daylight in a basket. Some of the figures seem to represent more than one figure of speech (whether this was Bruegel's intention or not is unknown), such as the man shearing a sheep in the centre bottom left of the picture. He is sitting next to a man shearing a pig, so represents the expression "One shears sheep and one shears pigs", meaning that one has the advantage over the other, but may also represent the advice "Shear them but don't skin them", meaning make the most of available assets.

List of proverbs and idioms featured in the painting

Expressions featured in the painting

Proverb/idiom	Meaning	Area	Image
To be able to tie even the devil to a pillow (fr)(nl)	Obstinacy overcomes everything	Lower left	100px
To be a pillar-biter (fr)(nl)	To be a religious hypocrite	Lower left	100px
Never believe someone who carries fire in one hand and water in the other (fr)(nl)	To be two-faced and to stir up trouble	Lower left	100px
To bang one's head against a brick wall (fr)(nl)	To try to achieve the impossible	Lower left	100px
One foot shod, the other bare(fr)(nl)	Balance is paramount	Lower left	100px
The sow pulls the bung (fr)(nl)	Negligence will be rewarded with disaster	Lower left	100px
To bell the cat (fr)(nl)	To carry out a dangerous or impractical plan	Lower left
To be armed to the teeth (fr)(nl)	To be heavily armed	Lower left
To put your armor on (fr)(nl)	To be angry	Lower left
One shears sheep, the other shears pigs (fr)(nl)	One has all the advantages, the other none	Lower left	100px
Shear them but do not skin them (fr)(nl)	Do not press your advantage too far	Lower left	100px
The herring does not fry here(fr)(nl)	It's not going according to plan	Lower left	100px
To fry the whole herring for the sake of the roe (nl)	To do too much to achieve a little	Lower left	100px
To get the lid on the head (nl)	To end up taking responsibility	Lower left	100px
The herring hangs by its own gills (fr)(nl)	You must accept responsibility for your own actions	Lower left	100px
There is more in it than an empty herring (nl)	There is more to it than meets the eye	Lower left	100px
What can smoke do to iron? (fr)(nl)	There is no point in trying to change the unchangeable	Lower left	100px
To find the dog in the pot (fr)(nl)	To arrive too late for dinner and find all the food has been eaten	Lower left	100px
To sit between two stools in the ashes (fr)(nl)	To be indecisive	Lower left	100px
To be a hen feeler (fr)(nl)	To depend on an uncertain outcome (c.f. to count one's chickens before they hatch)	Middle left	100px
The scissors hang out there (fr)(nl)	They are liable to cheat you there	Upper left	100px
To always gnaw on a single bone (fr)(nl)	To continually talk about the same subject	Upper left	100px
It depends on the fall of the cards (fr)(nl)	It is up to chance	Upper left	100px
The world is turned upside down (fr)(nl)	Everything is the opposite of what it should be	Upper left	100px
Leave at least one egg in the nest (fr)(nl)	Always have something in reserve	Upper left	100px
To crap on the world (fr)(nl)	To despise everything	Upper left	100px
To lead each other by the nose (fr)(nl)	To fool each other	Upper left	100px
The die is cast (fr)(nl)	The decision is made	Upper left	100px
Fools get the best cards (fr)(nl)	Luck can overcome intelligence	Upper left	100px
To look through one's fingers (fr)(nl)	To turn a blind eye	Upper left	100px
There hangs the knife (fr)(nl)	To issue a challenge	Upper left	100px
There stand the wooden shoes (fr)(nl)	To wait in vain	Upper left	100px
To stick out the broom (fr)(nl)	To have fun while the master is away	Upper left	100px
To marry under the broomstick (fr)(nl)	To live together without marrying	Upper left	100px
To have the roof tiled with tarts (fr)(nl)	To be very wealthy	Upper left	100px
To have a hole in one's roof (fr)(nl)	To be unintelligent	Upper left	100px
An old roof needs a lot of patching up (fr)(nl)	Old things need more maintenance	Upper left	100px
The roof has lathes(fr)(nl)	There could be eavesdroppers (The walls have ears)	Middle left	100px
To have toothache behind the ears(fr)(nl)	To be a malingerer	Middle left	100px
To be pissing against the moon(fr)(nl)	To waste one's time on a futile endeavour	Middle left	100px
Here hangs the pot(fr)(nl)	It is the opposite of what it should be	Middle left	100px
To shoot a second bolt to find the first(fr)(nl)	To repeat a foolish action	Upper left	100px
To shave the fool without lather(fr)(nl)	To trick somebody	Middle	100px
Two fools under one hood(fr)(nl)	Stupidity loves company	Middle	100px
It grows out of the window(fr)(nl)	It cannot be concealed	Middle	100px
To play on the pillory(fr)(nl)	To attract attention to one's shameful acts	Upper middle	100px
When the gate is open the pigs will run into the corn(fr)(nl)	Disaster ensues from carelessness	Upper middle	100px
When the corn decreases the pig increases	If one person gains then another must lose	Upper middle	100px
To run like one's backside is on fire(fr)(nl)	To be in great distress	Upper middle	100px
He who eats fire, craps sparks	Do not be surprised at the outcome if you attempt a dangerous venture	Upper middle	100px
To hang one's cloak according to the wind(fr)(nl)	To adapt one's viewpoint to the current opinion	Upper middle	100px
To toss feathers in the wind (fr)(nl)	To work fruitlessly	Upper middle	100px
To gaze at the stork(fr)(nl)	To waste one's time	Upper middle	100px
To try to kill two flies with one stroke(fr)(nl)	To be efficient (equivalent to today's To kill two birds with one stone)	Upper middle	100px
To fall from the ox onto the rear end of an ass(fr)(nl)	To fall on hard times	Upper middle	100px
To kiss the ring of the door (fr)(nl)	To be obsequious	Upper middle	100px
To wipe one's backside on the door (nl)	To treat something lightly	Upper middle	100px
To go around shouldering a burden (fr) (nl)	To imagine that things are worse than they are	Upper middle	100px
One beggar pities the other standing in front of the door(nl)	Being afraid for competition	Upper middle	100px
To fish behind the net (fr)(nl)	To miss an opportunity	Middle	100px
Sharks eat smaller fish (fr)(nl)	Anything people say will be put in perspective according to their level of importance	Middle	100px
To be unable to see the sun shine on the water(fr)(nl)	To be jealous of another's success	Middle	100px
It hangs like a privy over a ditch (fr)(nl)	It is obvious	Middle	100px
Anybody can see through an oak plank if there is a hole in it (fr)(nl)	There is no point in stating the obvious	Middle	100px
They both crap through the same hole (fr)(nl)	They are inseparable comrades	Middle	100px
To throw one's money into the water(fr)(nl)	To waste one's money	Middle	100px
A wall with cracks will soon collapse(fr)(nl)	Anything poorly managed will soon fail	Middle right	100px
To not care whose house is on fire as long as one can warm oneself at the blaze(fr)(nl)	To take every opportunity regardless of the consequences to others	Middle right	100px
To drag the block(fr)(nl)	To be deceived by a lover or to work at a pointless task	Upper right	100px
Fear makes the old woman trot(fr)(nl)	An unexpected event can reveal unknown qualities	Upper right	100px
Horse droppings are not figs (fr)(nl)	Do not be fooled by appearances	Upper right	100px
If the blind lead the blind both will fall in the ditch(fr)(nl)	There is no point in being guided by others who are equally ignorant	Upper right	100px
The journey is not yet over when one can discern the church and steeple (fr)(nl)	Do not give up until the task is fully complete	Upper right	100px
Everything, however finely spun, finally comes to the sun(nl)	Nothing can be hidden forever	Upper right	100px
To keep one's eye on the sail(fr)(nl)	To stay alert, be wary	Upper right	100px
To crap on the gallows(fr)(nl)	To be undeterred by any penalty	Upper right	100px
Where the carcass is, there fly the crows(fr)(nl)	If there's something to be gained, everyone hurries in front	Upper right	100px
It is easy to sail before the wind(fr)(nl)	If conditions are favourable it is not difficult to achieve one's goal	Upper right	100px
Who knows why geese go barefoot?(fr)(nl)	There is a reason for everything, though it may not be obvious	Upper right	100px
If I am not meant to be their keeper, I will let geese be geese	Do not interfere in matters that are not your concern	Upper right	100px
To see bears dancing(fr)(nl)	To be starving	Right	100px
Wild bears prefer each other's company(nl)	Peers get along better with each other than with outsiders	Right	100px
To throw one's cowl over the fence(fr)(nl)	To discard something without knowing whether it will be required later	Right	100px
It is ill to swim against the current(fr)(nl)	It is difficult to oppose the general opinion	Right	100px
The pitcher goes to the water until it finally breaks(fr)(nl)	Everything has its limitations	Right	100px
The broadest straps are cut from someone else's leather (fr)(nl)	One is quick to another's money.	Right	100px
To hold an eel by the tail(fr)(nl)	To undertake a difficult task (Compare: "Catch a tiger by the tail")	Right	100px
To fall through the basket(fr)(nl)	To have your deception uncovered	Right	100px
To be suspended between heaven and earth(nl)	To be in an awkward situation	Right	100px
To keep the hen's egg and let the goose's egg go(fr)(nl)	To make a bad decision	Right	100px
To yawn against the oven(fr)(nl)	To attempt more than one can manage	Lower right	100px
To be barely able to reach from one loaf to another(fr)(nl)	To have difficulty living within budget	Lower right	100px
A hoe without a handle(fr)(nl)	Probably something useless	Lower right	100px
To look for the hatchet(fr)(nl)	To try to find an excuse	Lower right	100px
Here he is with his lantern(nl)	To finally have an opportunity to show a talent	Lower right	100px
A hatchet with a handle(fr)(nl)	Probably signifies "the whole thing"	Lower right	100px
He who has spilt his porridge cannot scrape it all up again(fr)(nl)	Once something is done it cannot be undone (Compare: "Don't cry over spilt milk")	Lower right	100px
To put a spoke in someone's wheel(fr)(nl)	To put up an obstacle, to destroy someone's plans	Lower right	100px
Love is on the side where the money bag hangs(fr)(nl)	Love can be bought	Lower right	100px
To pull to get the longest end(fr)(nl)	To attempt to get the advantage	Lower right	100px
To stand in one's own light(nl)	To behave contrarily to one's own happiness or advantage	Lower right	100px
No one looks for others in the oven who has not been in there himself(nl)	To imagine wickedness in others is a sign of wickedness in oneself	Lower right	100px
To have the world spinning on one's thumb(fr)(nl)	To have every advantage (Compare: "To have the world in the palm of your hand")	Lower right	100px
To tie a flaxen beard to the face of Christ(fr)(nl)	To hide deceit under a veneer of Christian piety	Lower right	100px
To have to stoop to get on in the world(fr)(nl)	To succeed one must be willing to make sacrifices	Lower right	100px
To cast roses before swine(nl)	To waste effort on the unworthy	Lower middle	100px
To fill the well after the calf has already drowned(fr)(nl)	To take action only after a disaster (Compare: "Shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted")	Lower middle	100px
To be as gentle as a lamb(fr)(nl)	Someone who is exceptionally calm or gentle	Lower middle	100px
She puts the blue cloak on her husband(fr)(nl)	She deceives him	Lower middle	100px
Watch out that a black dog does not come in between(fr)(nl)	Mind that things don't go wrong	Lower middle	100px
One winds on the distaff what the other spins(fr)(nl)	Both spread gossip	Lower middle	100px
To carry the day out in baskets(fr)(nl)	To waste one's time (Compare: "to carry coals to Newcastle" and "to sell sand in the desert")	Middle	100px
To hold a candle to the Devil(fr)(nl)	To flatter and make friends indiscriminately	Middle	100px
To confess to the Devil(fr)(nl)	To reveal secrets to one's enemy	Middle	100px
The pig is stabbed through the belly(fr)(nl)	A foregone conclusion or what is done can not be undone	Middle	100px
Two dogs over one bone seldom agree(fr)(nl)	To argue over a single point	Middle	100px
When two dogs fight out who gets the bone,the third one steals it(fr)(nl)	Self-explanatory	Middle	100px
To be a skimming ladle(fr)(nl)	To be a parasite or sponger	Middle	100px
What is the good of a beautiful plate when there is nothing on it?(fr)(nl)	Beauty does not make up for substance	Middle	100px
The Fox and the Stork dine together(fr)(nl)	Two deceivers always keep their own advantage in mind	Middle	100px
To blow in the ear(fr)(nl)	To spread gossip	Middle	100px
Chalk up a debt(fr)(nl)	To owe someone a favour	Middle	100px
The meat on the spit must be basted(fr)(nl)	Certain things need constant attention	Middle	100px
There is no turning the spit with him(fr)(nl)	He is uncooperative	Middle	100px
To sit on hot coals(fr)(nl)	To be impatient	Middle	100px
To catch fish without a net(fr)(nl)	To profit from the work of others	Middle	100px

Inspiration for other paintings

This painting has inspired others to depict multiple proverbs in their paintings, also. An illustration from the Hong Kong magazine Passion Times illustrates dozens of Cantonese proverbs. The painting Proverbidioms was also inspired by this Dutch painting to depict English proverbs and idioms.

External links

• Bruegel's The Dutch Proverbs, Smarthistory video, commentary by Beth Harris and Steven Zucker
• The Netherlandish Proverbs, Zoomable and Annotated
• Interactive mobile/responsive version of The Netherlandish Proverbs