Gulzigheid (Gluttony) - Jacob Gole

A satirical mezzotint by Jacob Gole depicting the sin of Gluttony, featuring a grotesque figure consuming a sausage with ironic moral commentary.

This mezzotint by Jacob Gole, titled Gulzigheid (Gluttony), forms part of a series depicting the Seven Deadly Sins. Gole, a Dutch engraver and publisher active in Amsterdam, utilised the mezzotint technique to achieve soft gradations of tone, which allowed for the dramatic chiaroscuro seen in this character study. The work presents a grotesque figure, identified as Le Frere Boudin, consuming a sausage with exaggerated fervour. The circular composition focuses the viewer on the subject's distorted facial expression and the act of eating, which serves as a moralising commentary on human vice.

The inclusion of a French verse beneath the image provides a satirical justification for the subject's behaviour. The text suggests that the gluttonous consumption of the sausage is a form of penance, a wry inversion of religious asceticism common in the moralising prints of the period. The figure wears a cap and simple attire, typical of the caricatured types often employed in seventeenth-century Dutch print culture to represent specific character flaws. The background remains minimal, ensuring that the focus stays on the subject's gluttonous action and the accompanying text.

Jacob Gole was known for his technical proficiency in mezzotint, a medium that was gaining popularity in the Netherlands at the time. His ability to render texture and light through the scraping of the copper plate is evident in the shading of the figure's face and the form of the sausage. This print offers a glimpse into the satirical and didactic nature of Dutch art, where humour and moral instruction often intersected. It remains a compelling example of how printmakers of the era used caricature to explore complex human behaviours within a structured, allegorical framework.