Reuk 1758 - 1774

Curator: This delightful engraving is called “Reuk,” which translates to “Smell” or “Scent,” created between 1758 and 1774, now residing here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: The wispy Rococo style and muted tones give it a dreamy, almost melancholic feel, even with the whimsical subject matter. It reminds me of pressed flowers, delicate and faded. Curator: It's fascinating how Robert Cooper captured a fleeting sense—smell—in a static visual medium. Consider the symbolic weight he's placing on sensory experience during the Enlightenment. Editor: Absolutely. And that symbolic weight becomes literal, doesn't it? Look at the young man carrying the weight of that floral cornucopia— he's practically bowed under the burden, perhaps signifying the potentially overwhelming nature of sensory input or even the societal expectations around luxury and fragrance. Curator: Intriguing. The ornate frame further isolates the experience of "odorat", visually cordoning off this sensory world. It is one of a set, portraying the five senses. It suggests a privileged and controlled environment, doesn't it? One where these refined sensations are to be savored, not overwhelmed. Editor: The class implications are so obvious, you're right. Fragrance as a leisure pursuit. And who has time to be idle, lost in beautiful fragrance? The rococo style almost weaponizes those visual cues of high society— the flitting line work is almost comical, it gives a cartoon like effect in the subject's shape and attitude. Curator: Cooper uses landscape and genre painting conventions within that decorative frame. Note the casual posture of the figure—how unlike that feels with the grandiosity that also frames his depiction. The symbolic interplay heightens the importance of both. What a peculiar choice, indeed! Editor: It brings a different sense, in retrospect, I find that "Reuk" reflects an awareness of how scent could construct class and privilege at this point in history, how this sense could shape the perception of a good taste at court. Curator: Exactly! A sensory marker. And for our listeners, perhaps it marks a historical point from which to re-evaluate sensory engagement in today’s world. Editor: It is quite a treat for eyes to see this at Rijksmuseum. "Reuk" leaves us with much to ponder.