Iconology of the Wayfarer Triptych – Detail

A winged and ratheaded demon emerging from underneath the chest holds up a paper sealed with red wax. It has been suggested that the paper is a letter of indulgence, a mortgage, a paper of false legitimacy, or a promissory note [Cuttler, 1968, 202; Cuttler, 1969, 275] Although there are no markings on the paper that would identify it as a specific type of document, it would seem likely that it refers to the money-making activities of misers, such as lending money at high rates of interest. Capitalism in the Netherlands of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries resulted in an increasing use of paper credit as a substitute for hard currency. (p. 18)

Some own a seal and patent good // They prove they are of noble blood. // They’re first, they claim quite rightfully, // To be dubbed in that family,… [Brant, 1944, 253]