concept

A man cuts his finger with a knife; representing the sense of touch. Pen drawing by A. Overlaet, 1761, after D. Teniers.

A man behind a woman who is combing her hair; representing the sense of sight. Engraving.

An old woman with a flower; representing the sense of smell. Mezzotint by A.H.J. Degmair after P.A. Wille.

A woman looks at herself in her mirror; a man looks through a telescope; representing the sense of sight. Engraving by A. Bosse after himself, ca. 1650.

An old woman wearing spectacles; representing the sense of sight. Mezzotint by A.H.J. Degmair after P.A. Wille.

A man caresses a woman; representing the sense of touch. Engraving by A. Bosse after himself, c. 1650.

Ten demonstrations of digestion, blood circulation, breathing, bone structure, smell, hearing, sight, touch, taste, the nervous system, and muscle structure. Coloured lithograph by C. Bethmont, ca. 1860 (?).

The fallibility of the senses: above, justice, fame and deceit; below, doctors conducting an autopsy on a cadaver, surrounded by onlookers. Engraving, 1692.

A gardener smelling a flower; representing the sense of smell. Etching by T. Kitchin after D. Teniers.

The sense of smell: a man lying in bed smells flowers as another lights some incense, above, a priest stands before a burning sacrifice of a lamb. Engraving after G. Collaert, 1630, after N. van der Horst.

Medical Heritage Library

58 pages, 1 unnumbered leaf of plates ; 20 cm

Commentatio de examine physiologico organi visus et systematis cutanei : quam pro loco in gratioso medicorum ordine rite obtinendo die XXII Decembris MDCCCXXIII / publice defendet Joannes Evangelista Purkinje.

In the centre is a bed screened off by a curtain; a pair of slippers lie before it. On the wall behind the mirror is a painting with no image. The stool on the right bears a coat and a plumed hat

In the centre of the painting is Avalokiteśvara, the patron deity of Tibet, whose chief function is compassion. His body-colour is white. In his top knot there is an image of Amitābha, the Buddha of Infinite Light. He has four arms: in his upper right hand he holds a rosary, in his upper left hand an open white lotus, and in his two lower hands he holds a jewel level with his heart. He is seated in full lotus posture on a lotus throne
In the top left corner is a seated Śākyamuni Buddha, his body colour golden with a green halo and a dark blue body-nimbus. In his left hand he holds a dark blue begging bowl and his right hand forms the earth-touching gesture which calls the earth to witness that he has reached supreme Enlightenment
The deity in the top right corner is Vajrasattva, his body-colour blue, with a green halo and dark blue body-nimbus, his left hand in meditation gesture holding a vajra (thunderbolt), his right hand forming the earth-touching gesture. His hair and top knot are golden and he wears monk's robes
In the bottom left corner the White Tara holds a vajra in each hand, one pointing upwards and one downwards. She wears golden Bodhisattva ornaments and sits in full lotus meditation posture, i.e. with the soles of both feet turned upwards on both thighs, on a lotus throne
In the bottom right corner Padmasambhava is seated, a ritual wand under his left arm, his left hand holding a white bowl, his right hand a vajra, seated in meditation posture on a lotus throne. In the centre are the symbols of the five senses

1 painting : distemper on linen ; distemper 46 x 34 cm

The Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara surrounded by other Buddhist deities. Distemper painting.

The monkey was a symbol of taste through contagion by its other symbols: it was a symbol of the fall of man, which was in turn due to its symbolic association with baseness, its distorted 'similarity' to man
The text concerns Ceres and Bacchus, Roman deities of food

The five senses (Martin de Vos)

1 print : line engraving ; platemark 9.1 x 11.7 cm.

A female figure with bowls of fruit and a monkey; Eve picks the apple from the tree of knowledge; representing the sense of taste. Engraving by N. de Bruyn after M. de Vos.

A young woman in love clasps her hands against her heart; representing the sense of touch. Mezzotint by S.W. Reynolds, 1830, after C.-M. Dubufe.

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Senses and sensation

Images

Catalogue

Commentatio de examine physiologico organi visus et systematis cutanei : quam pro loco in gratioso medicorum ordine rite obtinendo die XXII Decembris MDCCCXXIII / publice defendet Joannes Evangelista Purkinje.

A woman looks at herself in her mirror; a man looks through a telescope; representing the sense of sight. Engraving by A. Bosse after himself, ca. 1650.

The Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara surrounded by other Buddhist deities. Distemper painting.

A female figure with bowls of fruit and a monkey; Eve picks the apple from the tree of knowledge; representing the sense of taste. Engraving by N. de Bruyn after M. de Vos.

A young woman in love clasps her hands against her heart; representing the sense of touch. Mezzotint by S.W. Reynolds, 1830, after C.-M. Dubufe.

Wellcome uses cookies.

Senses and sensation

Images

Catalogue

Commentatio de examine physiologico organi visus et systematis cutanei : quam pro loco in gratioso medicorum ordine rite obtinendo die XXII Decembris MDCCCXXIII / publice defendet Joannes Evangelista Purkinje.

A woman looks at herself in her mirror; a man looks through a telescope; representing the sense of sight. Engraving by A. Bosse after himself, ca. 1650.

The Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara surrounded by other Buddhist deities. Distemper painting.

A female figure with bowls of fruit and a monkey; Eve picks the apple from the tree of knowledge; representing the sense of taste. Engraving by N. de Bruyn after M. de Vos.

A young woman in love clasps her hands against her heart; representing the sense of touch. Mezzotint by S.W. Reynolds, 1830, after C.-M. Dubufe.

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