Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
A Musical Company with a Fortune-Teller
Valentin de Boulogne French
Not on view
This grandly scaled, complicated composition was commissioned by the diamond thief Fabrizio Valguarnera, as was Judgment of Solomon, on view in the last gallery. With reluctance, Valentin agreed to paint it and created what at first looks like a medley of his greatest hits but which, in fact, contains an allusion to the five senses, as recognized by its seventeenth-century owners, among whom was William III of Orange. The gypsy holding her customer’s hand represents touch; the soldier of fortune pouring himself a glass of wine symbolizes taste; the musicians embody the delights of hearing; the dreamy gaze of the youth signifies sight; and the dog who has poked his head into the scene, sniffing, represents smell.
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