Embleem met allegorie op het vergenoegen 1681 - 1737

François van Bleyswijck’s emblem, made around 1700, depicts an allegory of pleasure through potent symbols. The central female figure, elegantly draped, holds a mirror and a tray. The mirror, a symbol of self-awareness and reflection, has ancient roots, often tied to vanity but also to introspection. Consider how mirrors appear in Renaissance vanitas paintings, reminding viewers of life’s fleeting nature. The tray she carries, laden with earthly delights, parallels similar motifs found in Roman bacchanals, celebrations of earthly bounty and sensory indulgence. The image invites us to consider pleasure not merely as fleeting gratification, but as a reflective, cultivated state. It touches on our collective psyche: the eternal human pursuit of contentment, a quest that transcends time and finds resonance across cultures. The enduring allure of pleasure connects us to ancestral rites and enduring philosophical questions.