An Exotic, Yawning Man: Unusual Find in a Thrift Store

Omroep Brabant

Factuality

Ownership

"When someone brought this head to us, to be honest, I had to look up exactly what it was myself," laughs Stijn Rompa of the second-hand shop Parels en Prul in Dongen. It turns out to be a 'gaper': a traditional statue that used to often hang on the facade of a pharmacy or drugstore. "Gaper statues originated in the sixteenth century," explains Stijn. "Street names and house numbers didn't exist yet. Instead, reference was made to a landmark of …