The Derper Vraauwtje

The why

Many will have noticed that commemorative broadcasts and publications on the centennial of World War I never mention the many drowned fishermen in neutral Holland. A forgotten group, there were as many as 95 men and children in Egmond. Fortunately, our village has a beautiful fishing monument where they are commemorated annually. But about the women who were left in misery, there are only some vague memories among the elderly, for example about the many widow stores in the village.

Bronze figurine

Artist Fabio Pravisani has created a beautiful bronze statue of a fisherwoman commissioned by the Vereniging Dorpsbelangen Egmond Parel aan Zee. The derper vraauwtje will symbolize those countless widows in our former fishing village. From the footpath in front of the Vureboetsduin, above the old Wagon Yard, one had the best view at the time. Old sailors and fishing widows looked out here over the sea that gave and took.

Location

Old sailors and fishing widows looked out here over the sea that gave and took. So THE place for Fabio’s figurine. She is standing there facing the village and looking over her right shoulder to the sea.

On a masonry pedestal made of yellows found on the beach, remains of ancient Egmond swallowed by the sea. In a walk around the Vureboetsduin and the Wharf, the Derper Vraauwtje will then, together with Jaepie-Jaepie, the lighthouse j.c.j van Speijk and Louk van Meurs’ lifeboat, form a beautiful illustration of Egmond aan Zee’s maritime past.

I have created a Facebook page in honor of the Derper vraauwtje where you as a visitor can post your self-taken photo. Click here for the Facebook page

The unveiling

The unveiling of the Derper Vraauwtje was a great success on Friday afternoon, Oct. 30, 2015. A large group of Derpers had come to witness this.

Peter de Graaf made a short video about the unveiling which you can watch here on the right. Egmondonline has also created a celebrity facebook page just because you can this is the link: Facebook Derper Vraauwtje

Jannek Konijn, along with her son Engel, unveiled the statue by removing the yellow and red Egmond flag and told a touching story about drowned fishermen from her family. A beautiful addition to the village, realized by the association Dorpsbelangen Egmond ‘Pearl’ aan Zee.

Sculptor

Fabio started sculpting six years ago and is a true self-taught artist. He learned to develop his gift from books and watching DVDs. During the winter months, when the ice cream parlor is closed, he can pursue his hobby as a sculptor. He has always been a great art lover and loves to go all out in creating a sculpture, even though he considers himself only a beginner and not as good as advanced sculptors. He draws inspiration from several sculptors from various eras and countries.

Unveiling Derper VraauwtjeUnveilingDerper Vraauwtje filmed by Peter de Graaff

Posted by Het derper vraauwtje on Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Memorial plaque with short story about the Derper vraauwtje

About the artist / sculptor Fabio Pravisani

fabio-pravisani-derper-womanEGMOND AAN ZEE – He was born April 9, 1971 at Alkmaar’s Elizabeth Hospital and of Italian descent. His father Dino who died in 1981, mother Marisa and sister Daniëla, all with Italian roots, have operated Pravisani’ s Italian ice cream parlor in Egmond aan Zee on the Voorstraat for more than half a century. Grandpa Antonio Pravisani with his sons Leo, Dino, Lio and their sister Carla, who worked the longest, started the ice cream parlor back in 1947.

In the winter months the family went back to Italy and in the summer they were back in Egmond to sell their quality artisanal ice cream, famous throughout North Holland. Children would say to their parents, “Are we going to get ice cream from the ladies?” By this I mean Marisa and Daniëla who know what kind of ice cream they would like with almost every customer. Fabio learned and saw the craft of “ice cream maker” with a typical recipe of his own from his father when he was a small child. After the death of father Dino, he had to continue the ice cream parlor with his mother Marisa and Carla.

Bronze caster

Since 2008, Fabio Pravisani has been a volunteer at bronze foundry De Hooischuur in Oudorp on Herenweg across from Kolping Boys. There he learned the whole process of casting a sculpture in bronze. First making a mold from an image provided by the customer, making a cast in wax, then providing the wax model with vents and casting channels that is encapsulated in gisp. After this laborious process, the wax is fired out and the cavity left behind is then filled with molten bronze. After curing, the gisp is removed and the sculpture is finished. It was in this bronze foundry where he developed the desire to sculpt and cast his own sculpture in bronze. He liked that so much that he continued with it, and not without results.

Compilation of this article was created by Facebook and merging public newspaper clippings. The imagery is by various Egmond photographers such as Sjef kenniphaas, Rob glas and others. If you would like to be named in this article please let us know.