DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.44747#0046
sects and leaders who have poor vision. They do not have the mirror
of the true word of God but hold up evil mirrors. This is the mirror
of the blind. The people wander about with these mirrors. From their
youth onward they are unknowingly falling into great sin. They
remove all humility, patience, true devotion, and brotherly love
from our hearts, and replace them with many kinds of sin including
jealousy, hatred, and avarice. Oh, mirror of the blind are you yet
there? How faint-hearted do you make weak men when you deprive
them of the glory of the faithful Christ and God’s world! Be a pious
Christian and guard yourself from blind leaders. As he seizes your
soul and body, and you sink into the eternal fire, you must fear him.
“Those who Christ calls the blind and the leaders of the blind often
appear to be good but are bad underneath, and those people, 1 fear
must face an evil ditch.’’ Open your eyes and be alert. You are no
longer blindfolded. The scholar of Wittenberg has shown the mirror,
that is, the teachings of Christ. With the power of grace, open our
pitiful eyes which we have shut tight. Make us see perfectly the true
mirror and the glory of God.
By the “scholar of Wittenberg,” the author obviously means
Luther. It is interesting that both Catholics and Lutherans used blind-
ness as a metaphor for religious blindness, and this is an important
key to interpreting Bruegel’s Parable of the Blind.
The issue of Bruegel’s faith should be examined on the basis of his
work, for example, by considering his intentions in choosing the
theme of Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery for a painting
which he made for himself and by studying his contemporary under-
standing of the subject of blindness, rather than speculating on his
reaction to religious events which were unfolding around him.
*1 am especially grateful to Baron Patrick Nothomb, Ambassador
of Belgium to Japan, for the warm encouragement and generous
support he has given to me over the years in my studies of Bruegel.
I would also like to express my thanks to Dr. Roger H. Marijnissen,
former head of the Conservation Department of the Institut royal
de Patrimoine artistique, Brussels, Professor Walter S. Gibson of
Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. Hans
Nieuwdorp, director of the Museum of Mayer van den Bergh in
Antwerp, and the philologist, Father Willem A. Grootaers, fortheir
scholarly advice and provision of invaluable research documents.
In preparing the English translation, I received assistance from Mr.
Stanley N. Anderson in translating the Japanese text into English.
Translations from Dutch were done by Professor Luc Meskens of
Shinshu University (especially the quotations from Anna Bijns)
with the cooperation of Mr. Alain Cools, Counsellor of the Embassy
of Belgium, and translations from the German by Professor Ursula
Richter of Miyazaki University. I appreciate all their help.
Notes
1. R. van Bastelaer en G. Hulin de Loo, Peter Bruegel I'Ancien, son
ceuvre et son temps. Bruxelles 1907.
2. Ch. de. Tolnay, Pierre Bruegel I'Ancien, 2 vols, Bruxelles 1935.
3. C.G. Stridbeck, Bruegelstudien. Untersuchungen zu den ikono-
logischen Problemen bei Pieter Bruegel d. A. sowie dessen Bezieh-
ungen zum niederlandischen Pomanismus, Stockholm 1956.
4. F. Grossmann, Bruegel. The Paintings. Complete Edition. London
1955.
5. M. Auner, “Pieter Braegel. Umrisse einesLebensbildes”, fahrbuch
der kunsthistorischen Sammlungen in Wien, LII, 1956, S. 51-122.
6. B. Claessens undj. Rousseau, Unser Bruegel, Antwerpen 1969-
7. R.H. Marijnissen und M. Seidel, Pieter Bruegel, Stuttgart 1969-
R.H. Marijnissen, Bruegel, Antwerpen 1988.
8. W.S. Gibson, Bruegel, London 1977.
W.S. Gibson, “Artists and ’Rederijkers’ in the Age of Bruegel”,
The Art Bulletin, XLIII, 3, September 1981, pp.426-446.
9. Y. Mori, Complete Works of Pieter Bruegel (in ja.pi.aese.), Tokyo
1988.
Y. Mori, The Iconography of Bruegel's Children's Games (in
Japanese), Tokyo 1989-
Y. Mori, Pieter Bruegel, Spree k-woorden en Volksleven (in Japa-
nese), Tokyo 1992.
10. L. Maeterlinck, “Nederlandsche spreekwoorden handelend voor-
gesteld door Pieter Breughel den Oude, Kontnklijke Vlaamsche
Academie, Gent 1903, biz. 109-129-
11. F. Weinitz, “Die ’Niederlandischen Sprichworter’ des Pieter
Braegel des Alteren im Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum zu Berlin”,
’Z.eitschrift des Vereins fur Volkskunde, XXV, 1915, S.292-305.
12. G. Gluck, Das grosse Bruegel-Werk, Wien 1934, 1955.
13. J. Grauls, Volkstaal en Volksleven in het werk van Pieter Bruegel,
56
of the true word of God but hold up evil mirrors. This is the mirror
of the blind. The people wander about with these mirrors. From their
youth onward they are unknowingly falling into great sin. They
remove all humility, patience, true devotion, and brotherly love
from our hearts, and replace them with many kinds of sin including
jealousy, hatred, and avarice. Oh, mirror of the blind are you yet
there? How faint-hearted do you make weak men when you deprive
them of the glory of the faithful Christ and God’s world! Be a pious
Christian and guard yourself from blind leaders. As he seizes your
soul and body, and you sink into the eternal fire, you must fear him.
“Those who Christ calls the blind and the leaders of the blind often
appear to be good but are bad underneath, and those people, 1 fear
must face an evil ditch.’’ Open your eyes and be alert. You are no
longer blindfolded. The scholar of Wittenberg has shown the mirror,
that is, the teachings of Christ. With the power of grace, open our
pitiful eyes which we have shut tight. Make us see perfectly the true
mirror and the glory of God.
By the “scholar of Wittenberg,” the author obviously means
Luther. It is interesting that both Catholics and Lutherans used blind-
ness as a metaphor for religious blindness, and this is an important
key to interpreting Bruegel’s Parable of the Blind.
The issue of Bruegel’s faith should be examined on the basis of his
work, for example, by considering his intentions in choosing the
theme of Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery for a painting
which he made for himself and by studying his contemporary under-
standing of the subject of blindness, rather than speculating on his
reaction to religious events which were unfolding around him.
*1 am especially grateful to Baron Patrick Nothomb, Ambassador
of Belgium to Japan, for the warm encouragement and generous
support he has given to me over the years in my studies of Bruegel.
I would also like to express my thanks to Dr. Roger H. Marijnissen,
former head of the Conservation Department of the Institut royal
de Patrimoine artistique, Brussels, Professor Walter S. Gibson of
Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. Hans
Nieuwdorp, director of the Museum of Mayer van den Bergh in
Antwerp, and the philologist, Father Willem A. Grootaers, fortheir
scholarly advice and provision of invaluable research documents.
In preparing the English translation, I received assistance from Mr.
Stanley N. Anderson in translating the Japanese text into English.
Translations from Dutch were done by Professor Luc Meskens of
Shinshu University (especially the quotations from Anna Bijns)
with the cooperation of Mr. Alain Cools, Counsellor of the Embassy
of Belgium, and translations from the German by Professor Ursula
Richter of Miyazaki University. I appreciate all their help.
Notes
1. R. van Bastelaer en G. Hulin de Loo, Peter Bruegel I'Ancien, son
ceuvre et son temps. Bruxelles 1907.
2. Ch. de. Tolnay, Pierre Bruegel I'Ancien, 2 vols, Bruxelles 1935.
3. C.G. Stridbeck, Bruegelstudien. Untersuchungen zu den ikono-
logischen Problemen bei Pieter Bruegel d. A. sowie dessen Bezieh-
ungen zum niederlandischen Pomanismus, Stockholm 1956.
4. F. Grossmann, Bruegel. The Paintings. Complete Edition. London
1955.
5. M. Auner, “Pieter Braegel. Umrisse einesLebensbildes”, fahrbuch
der kunsthistorischen Sammlungen in Wien, LII, 1956, S. 51-122.
6. B. Claessens undj. Rousseau, Unser Bruegel, Antwerpen 1969-
7. R.H. Marijnissen und M. Seidel, Pieter Bruegel, Stuttgart 1969-
R.H. Marijnissen, Bruegel, Antwerpen 1988.
8. W.S. Gibson, Bruegel, London 1977.
W.S. Gibson, “Artists and ’Rederijkers’ in the Age of Bruegel”,
The Art Bulletin, XLIII, 3, September 1981, pp.426-446.
9. Y. Mori, Complete Works of Pieter Bruegel (in ja.pi.aese.), Tokyo
1988.
Y. Mori, The Iconography of Bruegel's Children's Games (in
Japanese), Tokyo 1989-
Y. Mori, Pieter Bruegel, Spree k-woorden en Volksleven (in Japa-
nese), Tokyo 1992.
10. L. Maeterlinck, “Nederlandsche spreekwoorden handelend voor-
gesteld door Pieter Breughel den Oude, Kontnklijke Vlaamsche
Academie, Gent 1903, biz. 109-129-
11. F. Weinitz, “Die ’Niederlandischen Sprichworter’ des Pieter
Braegel des Alteren im Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum zu Berlin”,
’Z.eitschrift des Vereins fur Volkskunde, XXV, 1915, S.292-305.
12. G. Gluck, Das grosse Bruegel-Werk, Wien 1934, 1955.
13. J. Grauls, Volkstaal en Volksleven in het werk van Pieter Bruegel,
56