Die fünf Sinne: Gesichtssinn

A man and a woman in elaborate Mannerist attire lean toward one another in an intimate embrace. The woman holds an oval mirror, the primary attribute of sight, while a cat—noted for its keen vision—peers out from the lower right corner. In the background, a sun rises or sets over a distant horizon, providing the light necessary for the sense of vision.

In the Western philosophical tradition, particularly Neoplatonism, sight was considered the 'noblest' of the senses and the primary means for contemplating the divine order of the cosmos. However, this print also carries a moralizing warning common in Dutch Mannerism, where the mirror serves as a symbol of both self-knowledge and 'Vanitas', suggesting that sensory pleasure can lead to spiritual blindness or vice.