“A Girl Holding a Glass. Taste” is an allegorical painting by Dutch artist Hendrick Terbrugghen, who was notably associated with the Baroque movement. This artwork is designed to embody the sense of taste, one of the five senses commonly explored in art during this period.
The painting showcases a young woman holding a glass aloft in her right hand, while her left hand grasps a slender, transparent jug. The woman’s festive attire and the inclusion of a large feather in her hair add a sense of merriment and indulgence to the scene. She gazes outward with a playful and suggestive smile, her face illuminated, emphasizing her interaction with the viewer. Her clothing is both richly colored and texturally detailed, with a yellow sleeve contrasting with the more subdued tones of her bodice and undershirt, which is suggestively revealing. Her expression, combined with the items she holds, illustrates a moment of enjoyment and satisfaction representative of the taste sense the painting personifies, reflecting the Baroque era’s characteristic attention to emotional expression and elaborate detail.
