Ter Brugghen was a remarkably innovative painter working within narrow confines of a Caravaggesque style. Many of his themes were of religious subjects but he also developed a sympathetic approach to genre with his own particular and intimate approach. He favoured single figures often smiling or laughing directly at the spectator as in the example here. The subject may represent taste even though a set of the five senses by the artist has not yet been identified. The composition could well be a pair to a Smoker (Sense of smell) of which there is a signed version at Eger (Erlau) in Hungary. The painting here is one of two versions, as is often found with Ter Brugghen, who liked to replicate so many of his compositions. This composition is one of Ter Brugghen’s earliest attempts at artificial light.

‍