Dec 30, 2024
The Sense of Taste
Artist: Philippe Mercier (French, 1689–1760)
Date: 1744-1747
Medium: Oil on canvas
Collection: Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Description
As in The Sense of Touch, this scene involves two pairs of lovers sitting in an open loggia, attended by a black page. The couple on the right are the merrier of the two, firmly in charge of the wine bottles, and filling glasses. The couple on the left appear more restrained, though the young lady's glass is being filled noisily. A third couple has vanished-there are six ices, and a discarded napkin at the head of the table. A silver dish of peaches and figs temptingly occupies the foreground.