CIRCLE OF DIRCK HALS | ALLEGORY OF THE FIVE SENSES

Acquired in 1920 from a Russian collection;

Anonymous sale, Paris, Piasa, 27 June 2008, lot 31 (as Dirck Hals);

There acquired for $63,041.

In this vibrant and lively scene, a group of elegant figures are gathered in a garden, surrounded by opulent objects and a variety of animals. Together, they form an allegorical representation of the five senses: the man looking through binoculars (sight), the man playing the pipe (hearing), the woman with the flower (smell), the man with the pipe (taste), and the woman holding the wine glass (touch). Their costumes help to date the composition to the early 1620s, and their figural types compare closely to those found in the output of the young Dirck Hals. Almost all of these central figures reappear in a set of allegorical prints by Cornelis van Kittensteyn, made after Dirck Hals, examples of which are preserved in the Rijksmuseum.¹

1. For example, see Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. nos. RP-P-1939-428 and RP-P-1939-430.