30 maart 2022 HuuB

Credenza è morta – Credit means you die, 1560

Mockery of credit

 

A caricature of buying and selling on credit and bad repayments. Italy around 1560

Italian handbills can be found all over Europe as early as the 16th century. As wall decoration but more as a signal to the customers for business rules in salerooms, workspaces and stores. In this caricature buying on credit appears as a dramatic personality.

 

  • CREDENZA E MORTA – selling something on credit means you die
  • IL MAL PAGAR L’UCISE – the bad paying killed it

 

The scene of this act is the haberdashery of a rich cloth merchant, who sells materials for clothes with merchandise and slide drawers for buttons, lace, satin, brocade, silk and taffeta interwoven with canvas, netting and rope. The merchants, probably father and son, are standing behind the cloth counter. An eager buyer with his hat in hand comes from the right and wants to buy on credit. He says:

  • AMICO MIO FAMMI STO APIACERE – as favour my friend, do something for me
  • DELA TUA ROBA DAMI – give me some of your goods
  • UN PUO IN CREDENZA – a little bit on credit
  • CHE PRESTO PAGARO – than I will pay you back soon
  • COME EL DOVERE – as it should be

 

The inscriptions above the slide drawers and on the bottom of the sales table, visible from afar, give the basic answers to this request:

   - CHI DA IN CREDENZA SPAZA – who sells on credit

   - ROBBA ASSAI – cleans out a lot of things

   - PERDE GLI AMICI – loose his friends

   - E DENAR NON HA MAI – and never get the money

 

On front of the sales table of the merchants is written:

  • IN QUESTO LOCO NO SI DA I CREDEZA – at this place no credit is given
  • SI VENDE SOL CON QUESTI PATTI CHIARI – we only sell at these clear terms
  • CHI VOL COMPRAR BISOGNA ALLA PRESEZA – who wants to buy something for this price
  • APRIR LA BORSA E CONTAR LI DENARI – open the wallet and count your money
  • E QUESTO DICO ANCOR PER ESPERIEZA – and I tell this again from experience
  • ONDE CONVIÈ CHA MIO MALGRADO IMPARI – that’s I have to learn, even if I don’t want to
  • PERO BISOGNA A CHI VORA DEL MIO – but you’re the one who wants my stuff
  • PAGAR CORTESEMÈTE E ANDAR CO DIO – kindly pay and god bless you.

 

This is the same saying that is still used today in many variations around the world.

  • BORROWING IS BAD BUSINESS
  • I HAVE OFTEN EXPERIENCED THAT
  • FIRST YOU LOST YOUR GOODS
  • AND THEN THE CUSTOMERS

 

To the left of the main scene, the sad fate of buying on credit plays out, where a short inscription in a cartouche describes:

  • CREDENZA E MORTA – to sell something on credit means you die
  • IL MAL PAGAR L’UCISE – the bad repaying killed the credit

 

Below in this scene you can see Credenza lying on the floor being held by the hair like a bad repayer to chop off the head with a sword. This caricature was one of the mockeries that spread on handbills all over Western Europe from Italy and enjoys great popularity to this day.