The Five Senses: Taste (Gustus)
Etienne Delaune French
Closely related to Georg Pencz German
Not on view
Etching, part of a series of five oval prints with depictions of the five senses, represented by standing women with attributes, surrounded by landscapes. In the print, Taste (gustus) is represented by a woman standing with her head turned to the right, holding a large spoon on her right arm across her chest, pulling it close to her mouth, and an ewer on her left hand. At her feet, to the right, is a monkey eating an apple, an attribute of taste, but also an attributeof luxury and vice. In this case, it might suggest the dangers of excessive eating. The ewer, held above the monkey by the female figure, might be a symbol of temperance, calling for moderation. This pringt might have been influenced by a print of the same subject by Georg Pencz, in which a woman eats from a dish with a spoon, accompanied by a monkey eating fruit by her side.
