Published by Jacob Gole (ca.1660-1724)
after Cornelis Dusart (1660-1704)
Amsterdam, 17th cent.
Mezzotint, 260 x 180


To count seven fools the viewer needs to include himself, sa well as dwarf, the two jesters, the piglet, the owl and the ass in the image. Lumped together with madmen, vagabonds and gluttons, he should think about who he is himself and defines normality. This is how a visual joke sparks off reflection of the nature of the world.