Senses of Smell and Hearing
Panel of natural colored linen plain cloth painted in polychrome tempera showing two scenes from a series depicting the five senses. At left, figures of a seated man and woman are offered a flower to smell by a putto. At right, a woman playing an organ or dulcimer and a man playing a lute, a figure of a putto singing and reading from a songbook. Inscription above the scene reads "AUDITUS." A vase of flowers separates the two scenes. At bottom, lines from some of Paul Scarron's poems in French and Latin.
mid- 17th century
Brush and tempera on linen
1938-46-1
Image and text © Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, 2020
Where you'll find this
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Permanent collection