Smaak 1684 - 1756

This print, Smaak, was made by Martin Engelbrecht in Germany, sometime in the first half of the 18th century. It's an engraving, likely intended for a popular audience and we can understand it as a kind of advertisement. Taste, as represented here, wasn't just about flavors, but about discerning social status. Coffee had become the fashionable drink for the wealthy, it's consumption an elaborate ritual. Looking closely, we see the architecture, clothes and garden design, all signifiers of wealth and privilege. Engelbrecht reinforces this by placing the scene within a decorative frame, further elevating its status. Taste wasn't natural but had to be learned; made available to a broader population through institutions such as the court, the academy and the coffee house. Prints like this one played a key role. To understand this further, we could look at period etiquette manuals, trade records, or even analyze coffee house culture to understand the values and social norms around the consumption of luxury goods. These sources help us to see how art is always embedded in a specific context.