Allegory of the Five Senses

1632 · Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Ghent

mythological

Art-lovers in the 16th and 17th centuries were very fond of emblematic paintings, although the content of a work of art often served merely as a pretext for a display of painterly ingenuity. The Allegory of the Five Senses by Theodore Rombouts fits this pattern perfectly. Each man in this painting symbolizes one of the five senses.

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About the Artist

Theodor Rombouts

1597 – 1637

Flemish painter, mainly of religious and genre scenes. In his native Antwerp he was a pupil of Janssens, an Italianate painter of merit, then from about 1616 to about 1625 he was in Italy. There his work became strongly Caravaggesque and he established himself as one of the leading Flemish exponents of the style. Later, he fell under the all-pervasive influence of Rubens and his work became much lighter in tonality.

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