Gaper

Gaper on the front of "Van der Pigge", a pharmacy in Haarlem

A gaper (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɣaːpər]) is a stone or wooden figurehead, often depicting a Moor, Muslim, or North African. The figurehead first appeared in the late 16th century as a hangout sign used outside the storefronts of drug stores in the Netherlands. The literal translation of "gaper" would be yawner; the figurehead is always displayed with an open mouth, sometimes with a pill resting on his tongue.  

The gapers gaping tongue represents the intake of medicine and grimace represents the bitter taste of the medicine. The various gaper appearances are symbolic of the origin for the pharmacist’s practice and medicinal ingredients. There are stories of the gaper as a symbol of the pharmacist’s traveling “quack” or helper. Recently, gaper figureheads have been stolen or removed from storefronts. Now, few remain within public view in the city of Amsterdam. Outside museum collections, fewer than 50 can be seen on buildings. Some have now lent their names to cafes, such as De Vergulde Gaper in Amsterdam.

Origin

Turkish fashion, Japonerie, and Chinoiserie are said to be a source of inspiration for creating the gapers. The origin of the gaper, mostly Southern or exotic, symbolizes the origin of the ingredients used in the drugstore’s medicines. During the 17th century, Western European trade with countries such as Asia and Africa introduced new spices from far and unknown places.[2] The spices were brought back to Europe and later dried and sold by a chemist.

Design, style, and symbolism

The design of the gaper figurehead is claimed to be specific to the specialties of the drugstore. The gaper takes on various appearances. The common gaper often wore a turban, helmet, or pointed hat, with gold earrings. The turban confirmed an exotic origin that suggested the potency of Eastern medicine. Some gapers were depicted in uniform, as a fire brigade, police or soldier. These were introduced in the second half of the 19th century when the government extended authority on the sale of medicines.[4] The gaper had several identities that suggest background information or story to the onlooker. The gaper as a jester would “reference to the helper of the traveling person or quack”.[3] “The helper acted as a patient who, for example, would picture the miracle provided and instantly healed his ailment. This whole play was accompanied by many theatrical gestures and grimaces. Then the quack called everyone who wanted to hear how well the treatment worked, to pull in as many customers as possible. The traveling quack would settle in a store with a wooden sign of the trusted helper placed by the store’s front door.”[2] The Oriental would “reference to the origin of the opium that is in the store sold in the form of sleeping dumplings.”[3] It is difficult to say if all the different types of gapers have been around since beginning. It is also possible that the most of the different characters were a later development.

Use

The gaper in the late 16th century functioned as a hangout out sign on the street. Not only did the figurehead communicate information about the origin of the medicines, but it was also a tool for luring in customers. “In this period there were no house numbers. The gaper served as a hangout known as a recognizable point in the street.”[4]

Saturated Market

Beginning in 1840, the demand for medicine quickly became unbalanced. There were more drugstores in the Netherlands than there were citizens.[4] This caused many drugstores to close taking the gaper figureheads with them. The Act on the Exercise of Medicine in 1865 declared that the pharmacy had to be separate from the drugstore. Pharmacists were required to have a diploma if not they were no longer considered a chemist. This caused the drug stores to change their appearance. The pharmacy displayed the mortar as a symbol for the ability to prepare medicines, while the druggists continued to use the gaper as a symbol. This caused a large decline in the numbers of gapers left in the cities.

Controversy

Recently, gaper figureheads have been stolen from storefronts. However, some have been later returned to new locations throughout the Netherlands. The gaper on the facade of Wijde Heisteeg 4 was stolen and delivered back in 2004 on the sidewalk outside the Municipal Archive on the Amsteldijk.  There are stories of gapers being vandalized and used for jokes. In 1830, a gaper was stuffed with gunpowder by a group of students and then blown up in the middle of the street. In 1895, the gaper on Heiligeweg 42 was given a large piece of liver sausage in its mouth. The gaper at this address also disappeared in 2008, there is still no clarity as to where it has gone. Reasoning for the jokes and theft are also unclear.

Conservation

The gaper is now a historical collector’s item. The Royal Archeology Society in Amsterdam received a gaper in both 1882 and 1883. Meanwhile, the Museum of Antiquities in Groningen was given a gaper in 1891 and 1892. Oudheidkundige Vereniging Flehite in Amersfoort followed in 1893. The Haarlem chemist Anton van Os (1889-1982), for example, gathered no less than fifty gapers from all over the country from the 1930s until his death.

See Also

English

Dutch

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