Hearing (Auditus), from Quinque Sensuum
ca. 1655
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 3/4 × 7 15/16 in. (9.6 × 20.1 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1945
Accession Number
45.101.4
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This engraving, titled *Hearing (Auditus)*, forms part of the series *Quinque Sensuum* (Five Senses), created around 1655 by designer Franz Cleyn and engraver Robert Walton. As a print from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection of Drawings and Prints, it exemplifies the 17th-century tradition of allegorical imagery that personified human senses through elegant, symbolic figures. Measuring just under four by eight inches, the work’s intimate scale suited it for decorative use in books, cabinets, or architectural settings. The composition centers on female figures accompanied by musical i...