{"id":27686,"date":"2025-09-01T16:48:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T14:48:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inter-antiquariaat.nl\/en\/antiek\/niet-gecategoriseerd\/vijf-zintuigen-jan-andries-both-1650\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T15:47:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T13:47:16","slug":"five-senses-jan-andries-both-1650","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/inter-antiquariaat.nl\/en\/antiques\/sold\/five-senses-jan-andries-both-1650\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Senses – Jan and Andries Both, ca. 1650"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Five Senses<\/strong>, series of 5 etchings made by Jan Both<\/strong> <\/a>after designs by Andries Both<\/a>, published by Frederick de Wit<\/strong><\/a> around 1650<\/strong>. 3rd state of 4. Size (each platemark): 22.2 \u00d7 17.5 cm.<\/p>\n

In this rare series of etchings, the Both brothers depict the classical theme of the Five Senses \u2013 sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch \u2013 not in lofty allegorical forms, but in boisterous scenes from everyday life.<\/p>\n

Beneath each scene is a Dutch rhyming four-line verse that mocks the sense in question. These humorous texts reinforce the comical character of the images, making them accessible and recognizable to a broad audience. Instead of refined symbolism, the Boths chose a satirical and lively take on the human senses, simultaneously provoking laughter and discomfort in the viewer.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019t Gesicht<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> [Sight]
We see a peddler offering various goods from his basket. An old woman tries on a pair of spectacles, while a man peers through a magnifying glass in hopes of improving his vision. On the left, children look together at a print. The scene carries a moralizing undertone: even if aids are available, those who will not truly look\u2014or are unwilling to see\u2014will gain nothing from them.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019t Gehoor<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> [Hearing]
Standing on a basket, a singer performs his song, accompanied by a comrade joining in. A group of villagers has gathered around them. It is not elevated music; rather, it seems to torment the ears of the listeners.<\/p>\n

\u201cDe Reuck<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> [Smell]
At left, a child relieves himself in a pot that also serves for cooking. In the center, the slovenly Trijn Slomp changes her child\u2019s soiled trousers. The other adults pinch their noses and grimace in disgust. The stench is said to carry \u201cten miles downwind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDe Smaeck<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> [Taste]
A pancake vendor, \u201cGriete-gruys,\u201d fries her cakes. Children and adults crowd around her, greedily grabbing bites. It is a farcical scene full of exaggeration: bulging cheeks, oversized bites, guttural grunts\u2014the bodily pleasure of eating is rendered here in a grotesque and earthy manner.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019t Gevoel<\/em>\u201d <\/strong>[Touch]
A man sits on a chest, his head thrown back and his arms hanging limply, his face contorted in pain as \u201cMaster Leurian\u201d (a traveling tooth-puller or barber-surgeon) works with an iron instrument to extract a tooth.<\/p>\n

Onlookers watch tensely. At right, a woman\u2014likely his wife Jutje\u2014wrings her hands in despair, while their child \u201cFop\u201d looks on. The patient cries out for help, urging someone to fetch \u201cDoctor Lubbert\u201d\u2014a comical detail, as such figures were usually regarded as quacks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Literature:<\/em><\/p>\n