Riaan 
5. I-glass sphere ku-Allegory of Faith (1670-74)
Ukholo lukaVermeer lwezenkolo luvezwa ngamandla kakhulu emdwebeni wakhe ongasekho ongokomfanekiso othi The Allegory of Faith. Umlingiswa oyinhloko uwukwenziwa samuntu kobuKatolika, futhi ukubukeka kwakhe nokushukuma komzimba kuthathwa futhi ku-Iconologia kaCesare Ripa, kulokhu kuvela emfanekisweni osho “Ukholo”.
Kodwa i-orb yengilazi engenhla kwekhanda lakhe ayikho encwadini kaRipa, futhi kuthathe amashumi eminyaka osolwazi ukuthola ukuthi yayisho ukuthini. Ngo-1975, isazi-mlando sezobuciko u-Eddy de Jongh wathola uphawu – olumelwe ncamashi njengoba lwenziwa ku-Allegory of Faith emiswe ngeribhoni – encwadini enesihloko esithi Holy Emblems of Faith, Hope and Charity kaFlemish Jesuit Willem Hesius. Yayihambisana nesiqubulo esithi: “Ithumba engakwazi ukuyibamba”.
Ivesi elifushane encwadini lichaza ukuthi i-orb ifana nengqondo yomuntu. Ekuboniseni kwayo okumangalisayo, “umkhathi omkhulu ungaboniswa kokuthile okuncane” – futhi ngokufanayo “uma ukholelwa kuNkulunkulu, akukho okungaba kukhulu kunalowo mqondo”. I-orb ifanekisela ukusebenzisana kwengqondo noNkulunkulu.
Kungase kwengezwe ukuthi yonke imidwebo ka-Vermeer nayo ifana ne-orb, ethwebula imicimbi edlulayo nemibono endaweni yayo eyisicaba bese ivala izizukulwane. Kuwo wonke amakhono akhethekile wemidwebo ekuthwebuleni izinto ezingokoqobo, u-Vermeer wajabulela impumelelo engatheni ngenkathi esaphila. Wakha cishe imidwebo emibili ngonyaka, kanti imadlana encane ayeyithola ngayo yayisho ukuthi wayengeke akwazi ukuziphilisa ngokudweba yedwa.
Mhlawumbe ubuciko bakhe busikhanga nakakhulu kuleli khulunyaka lama-21 elinyakazayo ngoba linikeza umuzwa oyingqayizivele wokuzola. Ezigcawini zikaVermeer, isikhathi sibonakala siba yiqhwa ekukhanyeni kwelanga okucwebezelayo futhi ukuthula kwehla njengesisindo esifile. Kodwa izwe elinamandla lezimpawu linyakaza ngaphansi: imibono ehlala isikhathi eside mayelana nobuciko, isifiso, ukuthanda izinto ezibonakalayo kanye nengokomoya, ethathwe nguVermeer futhi elinde ukutholwa.
I-Vermeer uku Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam kuze kube umhla zizi-4 kuJuni 2023.
Uma ungathanda ukuphawula ngalolu daba nanoma yini enye oyibonile ku-BBC Culture, dlulela kwethi Facebook ikhasi noma usithumelele umyalezo Twitter.
Futhi uma uyithandile le ndaba, bhalisela iphephandaba le-bbc.com lamasonto onke, ebizwa ngokuthi The Essential List. Ukukhethwa okukhethwe ngesandla kwezindaba ezivela ku-BBC Future, Culture, Worklife and Travel, ezilethwa ebhokisini lakho lokungenayo njalo ngoLwesihlanu.
