The Five Senses

Sebastian Stoskopff painted The Five Senses in 1633, an elaborate still-life composition in which each of the five senses is represented by specific objects. The painting reflects the philosophical preoccupation with sensory experience that characterized 17th-century thought, from Descartes' epistemology to the empirical investigations of the Scientific Revolution. Stoskopff, trained in the Netherlandish still-life tradition, became one of the leading still-life painters in Alsace.

The painting arranges symbolic objects with meticulous attention to their material properties, from gleaming glass and metal to soft fabrics and delicate flowers. Stoskopff's precise rendering of reflections and textures demonstrates his mastery of trompe-l'oeil technique.