Artwork
De Fem Sanser
De Fem Sanser is an oil painting by Benoît Le Coffre. It dates from 1709 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1709 by Benoît Le Coffre, a Danish court painter of French origin, *De Fem Sanser* is an oil painting that illustrates the allegorical theme of the five senses. The work belongs to the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen and exemplifies the early Rococo lightness that Le Coffre introduced to Danish art.
Subject & Meaning
The composition gathers a small group around a central female figure who appears to be singing or reciting. Dressed in a pink and gold robe with a flower in her hair, she serves as the focal point for the surrounding observers, whose attentive gazes suggest an engagement with auditory perception, one of the five senses depicted.
Technique & Style
Le Coffre employs a delicate chiaroscuro, allowing warm light to model the figures against a muted background of earth tones and soft pastels. The handling of light and shadow creates a gentle glow that softens forms, reflecting the light Rococo aesthetic that was beginning to spread in early‑18th‑century Denmark.
History & Provenance
Employed by King Frederick IV from 1700 until his death in 1722, Le Coffre produced this work during his court service. The painting entered the national collection and is now housed at the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains part of the museum’s representation of early Danish Rococo.
Artist & collection
Artist
Benoît Le Coffre (1671 – 1722) was a Danish painter of French descent. He became King Frederick IV's Court Painter in 1700 and is considered the earliest representative of light Rococo painting in Denmark.
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Declaration of Love
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The Prodigal Son Living with Harlots
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Allegorizing Group Portrait of the Children of Diederic Pietersz van Leyden van Leeuwen, Burgomaster of Leiden, and Alida Paets
Untitled
Declaration of Love
Group portrait with allegorical overtones of the children of Diederic Pietersz van Leyden van Leeuwen (1628-1682), burgomaster of Leiden, and Alida Paets (1625-1673)
De Fem Sanser