Auditus
Etching
1646 (made)
1646 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This is a type of print called an etching. An etching is produced by biting lines in a metal plate with acid to hold ink which is then printed onto paper. This is a page from a set of five prints representing the Five Senses - Smell, Taste, Hearing, Touch and Sight. As here, the Five Senses are generally represented as female figures engaged in some activity relating to the sense they portray. They are accompanied by an appropriate animal and by cherubs playing with objects associated with the senses.
This print shows 'Auditus' (Hearing). In depictions of the Five Senses, Hearing is usually shown with music. In this example the woman is playing a lute. At her feet is a rabbit and on either side of the niche are a deer and a stag - animals known for their acute hearing. Songbirds sit in the branches above. The cherubs to the left sing from a book, while on the right they play the bagpipes.
People
Francis Cleyn, who etched these prints, worked mainly for the Mortlake Tapestry Factory, where he was appointed chief designer in 1626. He probably later reused the central female figures in a set of tapestries at Haddon Hall in Derbyshire.
Ownership & Use
These prints served a dual function. Collectors bought them as prints to be collected in their own right, while craftsmen bought them as sources for the decoration of objects they were making.
This is a type of print called an etching. An etching is produced by biting lines in a metal plate with acid to hold ink which is then printed onto paper. This is a page from a set of five prints representing the Five Senses - Smell, Taste, Hearing, Touch and Sight. As here, the Five Senses are generally represented as female figures engaged in some activity relating to the sense they portray. They are accompanied by an appropriate animal and by cherubs playing with objects associated with the senses.
This print shows 'Auditus' (Hearing). In depictions of the Five Senses, Hearing is usually shown with music. In this example the woman is playing a lute. At her feet is a rabbit and on either side of the niche are a deer and a stag - animals known for their acute hearing. Songbirds sit in the branches above. The cherubs to the left sing from a book, while on the right they play the bagpipes.
People
Francis Cleyn, who etched these prints, worked mainly for the Mortlake Tapestry Factory, where he was appointed chief designer in 1626. He probably later reused the central female figures in a set of tapestries at Haddon Hall in Derbyshire.
Ownership & Use
These prints served a dual function. Collectors bought them as prints to be collected in their own right, while craftsmen bought them as sources for the decoration of objects they were making.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
|
| Materials and techniques | Etching, ink on paper |
| Brief description | Auditus' (Hearing) from 'Quinque Sensum descriptio |
| Physical description | 1 of six etchings showing the five senses (and a frontispiece) |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Lettered 'Auditus' |
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
THE FIVE SENSES The Five Senses of Hearing, Sight, Touch, Taste and Smell were popular subjects throughout the 17th century. They are found on a wide variety of objects of varying quality. Artists and makers usually depicted them as people involved in appropriate activities. On the ceramic dish is Hearing, the embroidered panel for a casket portrays Taste and all Five Senses are shown on the lining paper for a trunk.(27/03/2003) |
| Object history | Designed and etched by Francis Cleyn (born in Rostock, Germany, 1582, died in London, 1658); published in London by Thomas Rowlett (active 1645-1649) |
| Production | Signed and dated 1646 |
| Summary | Object Type This is a type of print called an etching. An etching is produced by biting lines in a metal plate with acid to hold ink which is then printed onto paper. This is a page from a set of five prints representing the Five Senses - Smell, Taste, Hearing, Touch and Sight. As here, the Five Senses are generally represented as female figures engaged in some activity relating to the sense they portray. They are accompanied by an appropriate animal and by cherubs playing with objects associated with the senses. This print shows 'Auditus' (Hearing). In depictions of the Five Senses, Hearing is usually shown with music. In this example the woman is playing a lute. At her feet is a rabbit and on either side of the niche are a deer and a stag - animals known for their acute hearing. Songbirds sit in the branches above. The cherubs to the left sing from a book, while on the right they play the bagpipes. People Francis Cleyn, who etched these prints, worked mainly for the Mortlake Tapestry Factory, where he was appointed chief designer in 1626. He probably later reused the central female figures in a set of tapestries at Haddon Hall in Derbyshire. Ownership & Use These prints served a dual function. Collectors bought them as prints to be collected in their own right, while craftsmen bought them as sources for the decoration of objects they were making. |
| Bibliographic reference | Victoria and Albert Museum, Department of Engraving, Illustration and Design and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1927, London: Board of Education, 1928. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.711-1927 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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