The Senses (Rembrandt)

Completed around 1624-1625, 'The Senses' represents a pivotal moment in art history: the earliest surviving works of one of the world's most celebrated painters, Rembrandt van Rijn. Created when he was merely eighteen, this series of five oil paintings, each of identical dimensions, demonstrates a remarkable precocity and a sophisticated understanding of allegorical representation. These are not merely depictions of sensory experiences but thoughtful explorations of how humans perceive and interact with their environment.

The choice to tackle the five senses – sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste – as a thematic unit at such a young age suggests an ambition to engage with fundamental aspects of human existence. The technical execution, even in these early pieces, hints at the masterful handling of light and shadow that would later define his mature style. The fact that these are his earliest known works imbues them with immense significance, providing a crucial window into the formative stages of his artistic development and the intellectual currents that may have influenced him.

They stand as a testament to his early dedication to his craft and his burgeoning ability to translate complex ideas into compelling visual narratives.

The physical history of 'The Senses' series is as complex and intriguing as its thematic content. Around the 1720s, a century after their creation, four of the paintings underwent significant alteration: they were enlarged. This practice, common during periods of changing aesthetic tastes and interior design, aimed to adapt older artworks to contemporary settings.

However, the subsequent fate of these additions varied. Only the painting representing smell, 'Unconscious Patient,' retains these extensions, though they are now concealed by its frame, preserving its original apparent dimensions. The other enlarged paintings have either had their additions removed or are displayed in ways that obscure them, making their original format difficult to ascertain.

This history of modification complicates straightforward stylistic analysis and highlights the dynamic relationship between artworks and their successive owners and environments. Furthermore, the series has experienced dramatic shifts in its composition due to re-identification. The painting 'Unconscious Patient' was only definitively identified as the allegory of smell in 2015, underscoring the ongoing nature of art historical research and the potential for long-lost connections to be re-established.

These events underscore that an artwork's story is not solely its creation but also its survival, adaptation, and rediscovery.

Rembrandt's 'The Senses' series functions as a sophisticated exercise in allegory, where each painting is designed to represent an abstract concept through concrete imagery. 'A Pedlar Selling Spectacles' is a direct visual metaphor for sight, utilizing an object intrinsically linked to enhancing vision. 'Three Singers' evokes hearing through the act of vocalization, a primary means of auditory expression. The representation of smell, 'Unconscious Patient,' is particularly poignant; it suggests a state where this sense might be diminished or absent, perhaps due to illness or a loss of consciousness, prompting reflection on the vulnerability of our sensory apparatus. 'Stone Operation' likely refers to touch, a sense intimately involved in physical interaction, diagnosis, and treatment.

The missing fifth painting, the allegory of taste, leaves a conspicuous void, forcing viewers to contemplate the completeness of sensory experience and the potential for loss. This series compels viewers to engage critically with their own sensory perceptions, questioning how these faculties shape our understanding of reality and our place within it. It marks an early, yet profound, engagement with the philosophical underpinnings of human experience, setting a precedent for Rembrandt's later explorations of human psychology and emotion.

The most compelling aspect of 'The Senses' series today is the enduring mystery surrounding the allegory of taste. Its complete disappearance leaves a significant lacuna in the otherwise comprehensive exploration of human perception. Art historians can only speculate about its original composition: perhaps a scene of feasting, a detailed still life of food, or a depiction of gustatory pleasure.

The absence of this piece transforms the series from a complete set into an ongoing investigation, inviting continuous scholarly and public engagement. This missing element also highlights the inherent fragility of artistic legacies; artworks can be lost to time, conflict, or neglect, leaving gaps in our understanding of an artist's oeuvre. The recent re-identification of the 'Smell' painting in 2015 serves as a powerful reminder that such mysteries are not always permanent.

It fuels hope that the allegory of taste might one day be rediscovered, potentially offering new insights into Rembrandt's early artistic intentions and his conceptual framework for understanding the human sensorium. Until then, the series remains a testament to both the artist's early brilliance and the unpredictable nature of art's survival and rediscovery.

The 21st century has witnessed significant moments for 'The Senses' series, particularly through rare public reunions that allow for a more holistic appreciation of Rembrandt's early vision. In 2016, three of the extant paintings, all part of the Leiden Collection, were brought together for the first time in public at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. This event provided a unique opportunity for scholars and the public to examine these early works side-by-side, fostering new discussions about their stylistic connections and thematic coherence.

The reunion was followed by an exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, where all four known paintings were displayed together. In this exhibition, the missing fifth painting was represented by an empty frame, a poignant visual cue acknowledging the series' incompleteness and serving as a constant reminder of the lost allegory of taste. These exhibitions are crucial not only for showcasing these historically significant artworks but also for stimulating further research and public interest.

They underscore the value of collaborative efforts in art conservation and scholarship, allowing these fragile pieces of art history to be seen and studied by a global audience, thereby ensuring their continued relevance and preservation for future generations.