# Still-life with Chessboard \(The Five Senses\)

[View the canonical artwork record](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/baugin-lubin-r9ef96e5d7bd34a/still-life-with-chessboard-the-five-senses-r66686295fa7d7a>)

## Artwork

- Artist: [BAUGIN, Lubin](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/baugin-lubin-r9ef96e5d7bd34a>)
- Date: 1601-1650
- Technique: Oil on panel, 55 x 73 cm

## Commentary

In this picture the archaic arrangement of objects seems rather meagre compared with Dutch still-lifes at that time. Baugin&#39;s paintings are dominated by aesthetic elements that reflect a strict Calvinist morality. The symbolic props have been placed very economically: a dark mirror represents sight, a bunch of carnations in a vase - smell, bread and wine - taste, a chessboard in a closed box - touch, and finally the vermilion mandolin - hearing. These are not far from a game of cards \(with a Jack of Spades on top\) and a tied-up purse. Similar to &#39;Merry Society&#39; type of paintings, music is regarded as morally corrupt and in opposition to the eucharistic symbols of bread and wine. &lt;P&gt; &lt;TABLE ALIGN=LEFT CELLPADDING=5 BORDER=1 WIDTH=320 BGCOLOR=&#34;\#99CCCC&#34;&gt; &lt;TR VALIGN=MIDDLE&gt;&lt;TD&gt;&lt;IMG SRC=&#34;/support/gif/listen.gif&#34; BORDER=0 VALIGN=MIDDLE&gt; Suggested listening \(streaming mp3, 12 minutes\):&lt;BR&gt;&lt;A HREF=&#34;\#&#34; onClick=&#34;w=window.open \(&#39;/music1/18\_cent/vivaldi\_mandolin\_concerto.html&#39;, &#39;newWin&#39;, &#39;scrollbars=yes,status=no,dependent=yes,screenX=0,screenY=0,width=350,height=350&#39;\);w.opener=this;w.focus\(\);return true&#34;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in G major for two mandolins and orchestra, RV 532&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/A&gt; &lt;/TD&gt;&lt;/TR&gt;&lt;/TABLE&gt;

## Related artworks

- [Holy Family with the Infant St John the Baptist, St Elizabeth and Three Figures](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/baugin-lubin-r9ef96e5d7bd34a/holy-family-with-the-infant-st-john-the-baptist-st-elizabeth-and-three-figures-rcd0722f257e504>)
- [Olindo and Sofronia on the Pyre](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/baugin-lubin-r9ef96e5d7bd34a/olindo-and-sofronia-on-the-pyre-r115ac174409ac5>)
- [Still-Life with Candle](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/baugin-lubin-r9ef96e5d7bd34a/still-life-with-candle-r1ee9f7edcea972>)
- [Still-Life with Wafer Biscuits \(Le Dessert de Gaufrettes\)](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/baugin-lubin-r9ef96e5d7bd34a/still-life-with-wafer-biscuits-le-dessert-de-gaufrettes-rb28392aad565c6>)
- [The Virgin with the Infant Jesus and St John the Baptist](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/baugin-lubin-r9ef96e5d7bd34a/the-virgin-with-the-infant-jesus-and-st-john-the-baptist-rc2e67658195034>)

## Attribution

[Web Gallery of Art](<https://beta.wga.hu/pages/about>)