Italian school of the XVII century.

Italian school of the XVII century.
"Allegory of the sense of hearing".
Oil on canvas.
Relined.
Presents faults and Puncture.
Measurements: 90 x 67 cm; 114 x 91 x 7 cm (frame).

This oil painting, of Italian school of the XVII century, shows a masculine figure that works as symbolic incarnation of the sense of the ear, a habitual subject in the allegorical baroque series dedicated to the five senses. The scene, intimate and restrained, displays a sober and direct visual language. The protagonist is a young peasant of humble appearance, identified by his simple clothing: a lamb's wool jacket and a brown blanket covering his legs. The earthy chromatic range, from browns to dull ochres, reinforces the realistic and rustic character of the scene. The young man tilts his head slightly to one side and gazes out of focus, suggesting an attentive listening or inner connection to the music. His brown, kinky hair, the awned skin and unadorned surroundings suggest an anonymous, earthy figure, but one transfigured by the power of art. In his lap he holds a lute, a fundamental instrument in the iconography of the sense of hearing. The attitude of the young man, who neither plays nor sings, but seems to listen or remember, transforms the scene into a meditation on the inner act of hearing, rather than on the immediate sensory experience.

During the Baroque, it was customary to represent the senses through female figures surrounded by attributes. Here, however, a naturalistic, masculine and peasant treatment is chosen, perhaps to emphasize the universality of the sense of hearing, or to emphasize the sensitive and emotional dimension of sound, rather than its cultured codification.