apotheek - Figurine - Gaper, handgeschilderd - Plaster

gaper, plaster, 26 cm high, lifelike replica of an existing or vanished gaper,

Gapers were identification marks for pharmacies, chemists and drugstores. They first appeared at the end of the sixteenth century and occur only in the Dutch, Frisian, and Flemish language areas. The majority of those still used today as identification signs date from the nineteenth century or are replicas.
The gaper remains a mysterious phenomenon. The origin is unknown. For its hallmark, the wide-open mouth, there are several explanations. A medical practitioner; showing your tongue for a diagnosis, and then taking the prescribed medicines. Some gapers indeed have a pill on the tongue or a sulfur match in the mouth. Another explanation could be that the sick person, overwhelmed by fatigue, lets his mouth fall open. The most common gapers are easterners with a turban. Furthermore there are jesters, police officers, firefighters, Roman soldiers, and the sick.

Gapers are genuine folk art products and occurred only in the Netherlands and Flanders
We send them to you very well packaged but cannot be held liable for damage during transport.