60 - Adrien Van STALBEMT (Antwerp, 1580–1662) and Peter GYSELS (Antwerp, 1621–1690)

Adrien Van STALBEMT (Antwerp, 1580–1662) and Peter GYSELS (Antwerp, 1621–1690) Allegory of the Five Senses Oak panel, inlaid Height: 74 cm Width: 107 cm Inscribed on the harpsichord: “Andreas.Ruckers. Me. Fecit. Antwerpia Aø 1619.” On the reverse, a label specifies the painting’s provenance. Carved and gilded wooden frame, 17th-century French work. Bibliography: K. Ertz and C. Ertz, Adrien Van Stalbemt, Luca Verlag 2018, no. 129, reproduced on p. 312 Provenance: Commissioned around 1650 by Angibert Van den Berg, born in 1608 in Antwerp. Brought to Orléans in 1652 by his son Georges (1633–1684). A prominent sugar merchant, Georges Van den Berg was a scholar and a major collector of Flemish furniture, books, and works of art, which explains the presence of the harpsichord, signed by Ruckers. The Van den Berg collection remained with his descendants in Orléans until the closure of the sugar trading house during the Continental Blockade of 1810. Our painting remained in the family through successive generations until it was offered at public auction in 2003 (auction in Paris, Tajan auction house, June 25, 2003, lot 20; attributed to Adrien Van Stalbemt and Jan Van Kessel). This allegorical painting evokes the pleasures of the senses. Each woman embodies a sense: sight is symbolized by the telescope, hearing by the lute, smell by the flowers, taste by the dishes and fruits, and touch by the woman, who is being bitten on the heel by a small monkey. She leans on the table, the apparent centerpiece of the scene, whose movement and disorder accentuate the playful and lively nature of the depiction. The figure representing Touch seems to be causing the table to tip over. This movement introduces an unexpected tension into the painting’s orderly appearance: as if, behind the celebration of the five senses, the established order could suddenly be overturned. Beginning in the Renaissance and especially during the 17th and 18th centuries, cabinets of curiosities flourished in princely courts and among European collectors. These collections brought together rare or unusual objects from the three kingdoms of nature—mineral, plant, and animal—as well as works of art and man-made objects. They reflect a desire to gather, observe, and understand the world, but also to inspire wonder. This culture of collecting is closely linked to the representation of the five senses, a theme particularly prominent in Flemish painting. The senses are, in fact, the primary means by which human beings engage with the world around them: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Artists generally depict them through easily recognizable objects: musical instruments for hearing, flowers for smell, fruits and foods for taste, mirrors or glasses for sight, and physical contact or animals for touch. Our depiction highlights this symbolism, which takes the form of a banquet scene where the senses are associated with abundance, pleasure, and curiosity. The numerous objects (instruments, flowers, fruits, tableware, animals) can be seen as signs of a world to be observed and discovered. The monkey, which makes an almost comical appearance by biting the young woman’s foot, introduces a playful element and serves as a reminder that touch can be a source of pleasure, surprise, and pain all at once. Thus, the allegory of the five senses is part of a visual culture in which collecting, observing, and experimenting all stem from the same desire to understand and represent the diversity of the world. Our painting stands out as a rare example of a collaboration between two artists, Adrien Van Stalbemt and Peter Gysels. The exquisite still life in the lower right corner—the flowers and the objects arranged on the table—are characteristic of Gysels’ meticulous style; best known for his lively landscapes, he achieves here a level of perfection rarely attained. The elegant female figures, with their porcelain-like complexions, are the work of Adriaen van Stalbempt, reflecting both his work as a figure painter and as a landscape painter—a fine example of which can be found in the background of our painting (see D. Coeckelberghs, “Adriaen van Stalbempt as a Figure Painter,” in *Oud-Holland*, 1981, pp. 10–12). On the left is a rare depiction of a double-manual harpsichord, bearing the inscription: Andreas Ruckers me fecit Antverpiae 1619. The inner surfaces of the instrument are lined with decorative paper featuring an arabesque pattern, as used by Andreas Ruckers (a Type 6 and a second pattern very similar to Type 13 from Grant O’Brien’s book on the Ruckers). The outer surfaces of the harpsichord feature a marble-effect decoration typical of Flemish design, and the inner surface of the lid features a painting in which