Es gibt einen Weg in die Freiheit

The baker of Eeklo

The painting depicts a legend told about the citizens of Eeklo in Flanders. When they were
unhappy with the look of their heads, they would go to the village bakery. There the baker and
his assistants would lop off their heads and place cabbages on their necks to stem the bleeding.
The improved heads would then be kneaded and rolled, rubbed with a new finish, baked in the
oven and ultimately replaced. The composition recounts the whole process. However, there was
always the risk that a new head would fail to bake, or over-bake, thus resulting in a deformed
or deficient head. At the back of the bakery we can see a woman holding a severed head who is
having a discussion with the baker dressed in red. She is probably trying to return the head of
her husband with which she is not happy. This story had a moral and cautionary message for
those who were dissatisfied with their appearance and wanted to do something drastic about it.

Current Mood: sleepy
Current Music: Spor - DNB60 @ BBC Radio 1 - 28.07.2020