Dear MMDs,  A very interesting engraving of the very beginning of the
XIXth century appeared in a Christie's auction in Amsterdam, on Sept.
24th, as advertised and illustrated in the Christie's preview magazine
of Sept./Oct.  2002, page 128.

According to this publication, it is a work by Jan Anthonie Langendick
(1780-1818) entitled "The poffertjeskraam", in black chalk, pen and
brown ink, watercolour heightened with white, 7-1/2 x 10-5/8 inches
(196 x 272 mm), one of a pair; estimate 7 to 9 euros for the pair
(1 euro is equivalent to 1 US dollar).

I cannot describe it better than Hans van Oost (secretary of the Dutch
association KDV) who gave me the following answer to my question : what
is "poffertjeskraam" ?

 - - -

Now, that is an interesting question!  A poffertjeskraam is a typical
old Dutch-Flemish fairground appearance.  My dictionary wants to
translate it with "Baraque a beignets [a fritters booth]", but that is
not very precise.  Poffertjes are a kind of micro-pancakes, of about
4 cm or 1-1/2 inches diameter, made of wheat batter, not unlike the
batter for pancakes (crepes).

In the front of the poffertjeskraam, the poffertjes are made by filling
shiny red-copper plates with little depressions in them with this
batter.  The plates are heated from below (now by gas, then by charcoal
fire).  After a while the poffertjes are turned with a fork (the man
is very fast doing that!)  A normal portion of 20 of these poffertjes
is then served on a plate with butter and powdered sugar, and, on
demand, various liquors; my favorite is poffertjes with Grand Marnier
liqueur!  (-:

The boy holding the box is almost certainly showing some rodents called
marmots or guinea pigs.  They were often kept as pets by the Savoyards,
as they were called all over Europe, and indeed most of these people
came from Haute Savoie in the French Alps.

The wooden building behind the baking place is made up with a lot of
niches, each with a central table and wooden benches for the public to
consume their "poffertjes".  It is still to be found at all Dutch and
most Flemish fairs.  I like poffertjes!

Cheers and poffertjes with Grand Marnier!
Hans van Oost, Netherlands

 - - -

So now you will ask me : what about the organ ?

In the engraving, in the street front of the pancake maker, you may see
four well-dressed people, and in front of them, trying to catch their
attention (certainly to get some money) are two boys.  One is opening a
box with probably inside some kind of animal (a marmotte ?).  The other
is turning a handle on a box which looks very much like a small
portable organ.  They could very well be Savoyards, since many young
people from Savoie (in the Alps), travelled in Europe showing marmots
or playing portable organs.

I do not know what the other engraving of the pair looked like, neither
which price was fetched.  I send to <editor@foxtail.com> a JPEG scan of
the engraving.

Best regards from Paris (France), and thanks to Hans van Oost for his
explanations,

Philippe Rouille  (Paris, France)
http://www.musicamecanica.org/

 [ See the poffertjeskraam at http://mmd.foxtail.com/Pictures/
 [ -- Robbie