Al-Arm (oil on panel)

This humorous, monochromatic representation of cripples attacking one another with their crutches is a characteristic example of the satirical representations of marginalized, low-life figures accompanied by moralizing inscriptions, which constitute the majority of Van de Venne's artistic output. Here, beneath the ragged jumble of figures with outstretched limbs and contorted faces, appears a banderol with the motto "Al-arm", one of Van de Venne's favorite inscriptions. As Peter Sutton has noted (loc. cit.), this inscription may be read in several ways, not only translating as the English "Alarm", the French "à l'arme" (to arms), but also in Dutch, it may be understood as "All [are] poor".