Dutch school, 17th-18th centuries

Dutch school, 17th-18th centuries.
"Allegory of smell".
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 31 x 26,5 cm; 42 x 37,5 cm (frame).

This work is an excellent example of genre painting of the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century, with a style that connects with the Dutch school for its subject matter and crude realism.

The painting represents an allegory of the sense of smell in a very different way from the idealized and aristocratic versions. Instead of flowers and perfumes, the artist uses a nauseating odor to illustrate the sense.

In the center of the composition, a humble-looking man dressed in bright colors deforms his already aggressive features with an expression of utter disgust. With his right hand, he holds a broken egg, which is the source of the foul odor that provokes his reaction. His left hand is raised in a gesture of rejection. He closes his eyes tightly, and his entire face is contorted in revulsion. Beside him, an older woman watches his reaction with curiosity. Behind, a third character in a hat peers out of the darkness with a crooked smile, partaking of the putrid effluvium.

The composition is dominated by tenebrism, with dramatic use of chiaroscuro. The intense light focuses on the main characters, making them emerge from an undefined background. This technique focuses the viewer's attention on the expressions and interaction of the figures. The treatment of the characters is very realistic and without idealization, showing their worn clothes and weathered faces.

It is a powerful and visceral representation of the sense of smell, which chooses to show its most unpleasant and earthy side. It is a scene full of rustic humor and uncompromising realism, a distinctive characteristic of the genre painters of the time.