Telltale, anonymous, c. 1780 - c. 1792

Telltale, anonymous, c. 1780 - c. 1792

parcel-gilt silver, glass, wax, d 8.5cm × h 1.9cm More details

When the back of the telltale is heated, for instance with a candle, a portrait of Hendrik Daniëlsz Hooft, Burgomaster of Amsterdam and supporter of the Dutch Patriots, appears. Also visible are a keeshond and an aphorism translatable as: ‘He lives hidden in a cloud in the heart of the Batavian people’. The owner of the object thus reveals his patriotic sympathies.

On display in room 1.10

Listen to audio fragment (from the multimedia tour)

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