The Sense of Hearing, Philippe Mercier (1747)
As a painter influenced by the French Rococo style, Mercier gives his representations of the senses of smell, taste, and touch the appearance of "fêtes galantes," where young men and women are pairing off, filled with romantic potential. While his depictions of the senses of hearing and sight are less explicit, they also convey erotic undertones. He drew on traditional iconography for each sense, primarily inspired by the works of Dutch and Flemish artists from the seventeenth century.
