Still-life with Chessboard (The Five Senses)

still-life

In this picture the archaic arrangement of objects seems rather meagre compared with Dutch still-lifes at that time. Baugin's paintings are dominated by aesthetic elements that reflect a strict Calvinist morality. The symbolic props have been placed very economically: a dark mirror represents sight, a bunch of carnations in a vase - smell, bread and wine - taste, a chessboard in a closed box - touch, and finally the vermilion mandolin - hearing.

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Still-life with Chessboard (The Five Senses)

About the Artist

Lubin Baugin

1610 – 1663

French painter, active in Paris. He painted religious works and has earned the nickname "Le Petit Guide" (Little Guido) because he was strongly influenced by Guido Reni. This suggests that he visited Italy, but there is no firm evidence. A small group of strikingly austere still-lifes, signed simply "Baugin" (examples are in the Louvre), has also been attributed to him, although there is little in common between these pictures and the religious works.

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