Jan the blacksmith of Diesdunc
A blacksmith lived on the Diesdonk in Asten who forged the iron clapper for the Mary Bell. The bronze bell therefore bears the name ‘Jan die smet van der Diesdunc’ and the year 1447. On the statue of Jan die smet, artist Pierre van Leest has cast an impression of a pilgrim’s badge. That badge also appears on a bell dating from around 1350 in the Klok & Peel Museum. It is a small ornament (about 4 cm high) on Jan’s left shoulder, depicting Christ on the cross, Mary and John. We had assumed that Jan die Smet himself was the bell-founder of the Mariaklok, but this turns out not to be the case.
Artist: Pierre van Leest 2001