Plaque depicting the pharmacist

About this artwork.

The sandstone relief at the W.A. Scholtenstraat 5 refers to the profession of pharmacist that used to be practised in the building. The figure handling a heavy mortar and pestle is surrounded by various attributes. Striking examples are a pill jar and a poppy head, from which medicinal opium is extracted. 
 
The meaning of the lizard in the lower part of the relief is strangely unclear here (in general, in visual art the lizard is the attribute of personified logic).
 
The residential and commercial building was built in 1924 to a design by Evert van Linge. The relief was commissioned by pharmacist Grijpma around 1938. This type of plaque, also known as brands, often had a double function in earlier times: they served both as a decorative address indication and as a form of advertising.
 
The plaques, often provided with a short inscription, referred either literally or figuratively (via symbolism) to the name of the occupant or to the profession exercised in the building. With the introduction of house numbering in 1796, the use of plaques declined.
 
In a side wall of the building at 109 Herestraat there is another example of a brand plaque. Again, this is a copy of an pharmacist.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  maker onbekend

• District
  Centrum

• Year of creation
  1938

• Art type
  Art in / on a building, Facing brick

• Material
  Limestone

• Dimensions
  h 0,77 x b 0,51 m