Smaak 1663 - 1693

Curator: Ah, yes, here we have "Smaak", an engraving dating from 1663 to 1693, currently residing here at the Rijksmuseum and made by Cornelis Boel. Editor: My goodness, that's a feast for the eyes, isn't it? Not sure it makes me want to reach for anything on my lunch table, but there is definitely a theatrical sense. A bit… decadent? Curator: I would say that "decadent" does strike at the essence of the piece. You see this engraving functions as an allegory on taste, literally ‘smaak’ in Dutch. Think about that term within a 17th century Dutch context... Editor: So, more than just flavors; the aesthetic experience. Right? It’s more than just whether this pear is ripe; it’s the texture of silk, the glint of gold…Even that slightly absurd hat on the guy. It’s about the trappings. The image wants to tell you something of luxury and refinement, of the "good life," the so-called Gullen Leven. Curator: Precisely! The textures are really amazing. Boel used the print medium really masterfully to give the velvet, the woman’s skin, that monkey in the background… and the lighting...It all screams wealth! Editor: Yes, and look at the central figures; there is this couple, draped in finery. Is the woman holding the fruit and what looks to be sweets on that table? I see her with her lover who seems ready to have some sort of refreshment… with that big goblet in hand? What an intimate moment... but they're almost like players in a little tableau, and if you notice that monkey hiding there at the top, one has to ask: are these lovers "apeing" luxury? It's such a playful take! Curator: You make a great point about this potential of Boel holding these people accountable for this over indulgence. Keep in mind too the status of print at this time: This image would have likely been circulated widely, its commentary accessible to the emerging middle class who are debating about their place in the emerging and transforming economy and society. Editor: Oh that’s interesting - So in the end, this "smaak" leaves you with a rather complex and perhaps sour taste? An emblem of privilege… I love how the work lingers in the mind, playing on multiple registers. Curator: Exactly. A tangible sense of this ambivalence toward material pleasures – still so relevant today.