The Sense of Taste
Related Artworks
The Sense of Taste
Artist
Creation date
1618
Materials
oil on wood
Dimensions
22 3/4 x 35 1/4 in.
Credit line
Gift of Mrs. Albert J. Beveridge
Accession number
38.8
Collection
Not Currently On View
This painting once formed part of a series depicting the Five Senses, a traditional subject that the artist has transformed by adapting it to the fashion for banquet scenes. A woman in fancy dress, the personification of Taste, prepares to eat an oyster, while her companions raise a glass of wine.
Taste's table is laden with prepared food, while the foreground is filled with provisions such as game birds, deer, fish, crustaceans, artichokes, melons and grapes. The painting of Adam and Eve on the back wall signals a moralizing intent.
Provenance Research is on-going at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and information will be added to this record as research is completed. Please contact Annette Schlagenhauff, Assoc. Curator of Research, at aschlagenhauff@imamuseum.org with any questions.
