Gable stone

[1] The content of gable stones may explain something about the house's owner and are a feature of the urban fabric of Amsterdam.

The tradition is alive and has moved with the times – new stones are still commissioned, and for instance the Rabobank at Frederiksplein 54 in Amsterdam wistfully commemorates the introduction of the euro with a stone entitled De eerste en de laatste gulden (The first and the last guilder), created by Zutphen sculptor Hans 't Mannetje.

Some illustrate the name or profession of the owner, for instance a quill pen as a badge for an author, or a ship for a sailor.

For instance the "Batenburg" stone from Prinsengracht, Amsterdam, shown here, puns on the words baten (to profit) and burg (castle) to form a playful honor to André Batenburg, a supporter of the city's historic preservation movement who helped conserve the house on which the stone is mounted.

[3] A variation on the theme is a tablet bearing a biblical quotation or more worldly motto, but without an image.