Artwork
The Sense of Sight
The Sense of Sight is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Giovanni Domenico Ferretti. It dates from 1637 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Created in 1637, the work functions as a genre scene that utilizes the mirror as a primary iconographic element to represent visual perception.
The painting depicts a woman gazing into a mirror, a composition that directly embodies the allegorical concept of the sense of sight. Created in 1637, the work functions as a genre scene that utilizes the mirror as a primary iconographic element to represent visual perception. While the artwork is attributed to Giovanni Do, also known as Juan Dò, it is noted for its connection to Jusepe de Ribera, suggesting a stylistic or collaborative influence within the genre art tradition.
The subject matter focuses entirely on the act of looking, using the figure and the reflective surface to explore the theme of vision without incorporating other sensory allegories.
Technique & Style
The Sense of Sight is rendered in oil paint applied to a canvas support, measuring 70.5 by 55.2 centimetres. The painting depicts a woman with a mirror and is described as a genre scene, situating it within the 17th-century tradition of everyday subject matter rooted in the Neapolitan school.
History & Provenance
The Sense of Sight is dated to 1637 and aligns with Giovanni Do's known period of activity in Naples. The painting's early provenance traces through private collections: it was formerly held by the Cook family, beginning with Sir Francis Cook, 4th Baronet, followed by his son Herbert Cook, both prominent British collectors active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By 1982, the work had entered the Jack and Belle Linsky Collection before being acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains as part of the Jack and Belle Linsky Collection.
Prior to this acquisition, the work was owned by Sir Francis Cook, 4th Baronet, and formed part of the Cook collection, before its transfer to the Linskys and subsequent placement in the New York institution.
Context
Giovanni Do executed The Sense of Sight in 1637, an oil-on-canvas genre scene depicting a woman with a mirror. Do was a Spanish painter born in Xàtiva (near Valencia) who was active in Naples, and the attribution to him is linked in scholarship to the influence of Jusepe de Ribera, reflecting the broader tenebrist and realist tradition of 17th-century Neapolitan painting. The work is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of the Jack and Belle Linsky Collection.
Overview
Giovanni Domenico Ferretti, a Florentine painter, completed The Sense of Sight in 1637. This oil painting presents a genre scene, focusing on a woman engaged with a small mirror. The artwork is part of a series exploring the five senses and is currently housed in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It exemplifies Ferretti's early career, showcasing his approach to intimate narrative subjects.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Giovanni Domenico Ferretti (Giandomenico), also called Giandomenico d'Imola, was an Italian Rococo style painter from Florence.
