A Boy with a Dog (Allegory of "Taste") 1651 - 1654
bernardoeberhartkeilhau
statensmuseumforkunst
canvas
gouache
negative space
character portrait
possibly oil pastel
oil painting
canvas
portrait reference
underpainting
painting painterly
watercolor
self portrait
Bernardo Eberhart Keilhau's "A Boy with a Dog (Allegory of "Taste")" (1651-1654), housed at the SMK - Statens Museum for Kunst, depicts a young boy, likely a peasant, holding a dog and offering a piece of bread. The scene, painted in a realistic style, alludes to the concept of "taste," suggesting a simple yet satisfying experience of sharing food. The boy's gentle expression and the dog's attentive gaze create a sense of intimacy and connection. This allegorical genre painting is a testament to Keilhau's skill in capturing everyday moments with nuanced emotional depth.
Comments
At first glance, this looks like a typical seventeenth-century everyday scene featuring children at play. However, this painting is actually an allegory, a visualisation of an abstract concept. In this case we are looking at an allegory of the sense of taste, part of a series featuring all five senses. The painting was presumably created after Keilhau had set himself up as an artist in Rome in 1656, where he became known under the name of Monsú Bernardo. The road that led him there had been long and winding, taking Keilhau to Rembrandt’s workshop and to Hendrick Uylenburgh’s academy of painting in Amsterdam. Keilhau grew up in Kronborg Castle in Elsinore, where his mother was a housekeeper to the court and his father, Caspar Kegelhoff, was court artist to Christian IV and Frederik III.
Join the conversation
Join millions of artists and users on Artera today and experience the ultimate creative platform.
CollectMore like this
