Taste 1593 - 1596

Jan Saenredam’s engraving presents us with an allegory of Taste. Note the figures indulging in earthly delights: ripe fruit, overflowing grapes, and a brimming goblet. These are not mere pleasures, but symbols. Observe how this visual language echoes through time. The fruit, offered and received, carries the weight of temptation, echoing the biblical Eve and her fateful apple. This motif reappears across centuries, a constant reminder of the allure and potential downfall of sensory indulgence. The simian figure lurking in the background, a symbol of base instinct, contrasts starkly with the refined presentation of taste. This dichotomy suggests a deeper, perhaps subconscious struggle between our higher selves and our primal urges. The engraving speaks to the eternal dance between pleasure and restraint, a theme that continues to resonate within the human psyche.