De Reuk 1638 - 1665

Editor: Here we have "De Reuk," or "The Sense of Smell," an etching and engraving by Salomon Savery, dating sometime between 1638 and 1665. The scene feels...chaotic, almost like a comical snapshot. What's your take on it? What do you see in this peculiar work? Curator: Peculiar indeed! To me, it's a pungent little morality play masked as genre scene. Savery offers a visual pun – that steaming pile certainly assaults the nostrils! And see how the figure metes out punishment whilst two children attend the 'fragrance'? The title guides us, but the composition complicates it. He layers the literal sense of smell with something more satirical. Don't you think there is almost a cruel humor present? Editor: I didn't immediately catch the satire, but now that you mention it, the whole composition has this playful exaggeration, and the children do give me this ironic juxtaposition that they appreciate such an unpleasant odor. Could you say more? Curator: It hits me that it is all very deliberate: the hunched figure, the exaggerated 'offending' odour and those two kids acting almost indifferent! Savery captures not just a sensory experience, but societal commentary – a dig at perhaps base human instincts. That mutt off to the side might just be the only 'honest' character. What do you think? Is that dog the most honest portrayal of how we might react to that kind of stench? Editor: That's a very interesting angle! The dog, yes! Maybe the dog IS the only one reacting "appropriately." The piece feels far richer now, layers peeled back like, well, layers of an onion – making your eyes water, of course. Thanks! Curator: Haha! Precisely! An onion, indeed. Art that can make you reconsider your first impressions - the true scent of success, I would argue!