The Five Senses: Taste (Gustus)
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.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Five Senses: Taste (Gustus)
- Artist: Etienne Delaune (French, Orléans 1518/19–1583 Strasbourg)
- Artist: Closely related to Georg Pencz (German, Wroclaw ca. 1500–1550 Leipzig)
- Date: 1573–80
- Medium: Etching
- Dimensions: Sheet (trimmed): 1 15/16 × 1 5/16 in. (5 × 3.3 cm)
- Classifications: Prints, Ornament & Architecture
- Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1955
- Object Number: 55.581.5
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.