European Painting and Sculpture Before 1800

The Sense of Sight
The Sense of Sight
Artist Workshop of Abraham Janssens
     nationality Flemish
     birth-death about 1575-1632
Creation date about 1630
Materials oil on canvas
Dimensions 36 x 56 in. | 52 1/2 x 41 5/8 in.
Location Medieval Renaissance gallery
Credit line Delavan Smith Fund
Accession number 80.228
Wall Label

The woman depicted in this Flemish painting is not an individual or historical character but a personification of Vision, one of the five senses. Clad in sumptuous robes and adorned with fine jewelry, Vision sits in a frontal position for the viewer's visual delectation as she peers over her shoulder to gaze at the mirror hanging from rich folds of drapery behind her. Functioning as a self-referential motif, this mirror doubles as a painting and invites the viewer to attend to his/her own presence in front of the painting.  The viewer is thus reminded that, like Vision, he/she is engaged in the process of looking.


Descriptive tags added by visitors:

beauty, detailed, double chin, eagle, fan, gaze, hairstyle, interior, mirror, painting, perspective, reflection, replica, rich fabrics, rosy cheeks, satin, vision, wealthy, workshop
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