Peasants at Table. The Five Senses: The Sense of Taste 1637 - 1656

Anthonie Victoryns painted "Peasants at Table. The Five Senses: The Sense of Taste," a small oil on panel, sometime in the mid-17th century. Notice how the composition is organized around a tight cluster of figures balanced by an open, shadowy interior space. Victoryns uses a low vantage point, which pulls us into the rough and tumble scene. He uses the structural element of light and shadow to create depth, drawing attention to the figures around the table, caught in their revelry. Note how each character, delineated through distinct gestures and facial expressions, seems to embody a raw, uninhibited engagement with the sense of taste. The painting operates as a system of signs, where each element—the coarse bread, the clay jugs, and the disheveled clothing—points towards a specific cultural coding of peasant life. It’s a complex interplay between the intimate portrayal of sensory experience and the broader cultural scripts that define social class and human existence. The rustic scene does not simply reflect reality, but rather destabilizes notions of taste and pleasure.