Circle Of Joos Van Winghe (c. 1590–1600), Allegories Of Hearing And Taste

Circle of Joos van Winghe
(An unidentified Flemish painter, most probably active in Frankfurt circa 1590-1600)
The Allegories of Hearing and of Taste
Both oil on panel : 64,6 X 49,2 cm and 64,7 X 48,8 cm
Both unsigned
Frames : 79,2 X 63,7 cm and 79,0 X 63,7 cm

Around 1585 many wealthy Protestants fled from Antwerp, Brussels and other Flemish towns to Frankfurt: they soon enriched the town financially, economically and culturally. These two paintings testify of the link between Flanders and Frankfurt.

The high open-front lace collars (also known as fan ruffs or standing collars) that both ladies are wearing in our paintings were typical of the elite fashion in Frankfurt. They rise sharply behind the neck, framing the woman's head like a fan and displaying her décolletage and neck. They were constructed by attaching costly bobbin or needle lace to fine linen. They required rigid wire frames (supportasses) underneath and heavy starching with specialized heated irons to stay upright. These costly lace ruffs (the lace was probably imported from Antwerp) displayed the extreme wealth and status of these ladies who, in Frankfurt, felt free from the severe religious austerity found elsewhere.  

The two men are both wearing typical millstone ruffs.

All my paintings stand fully documented on my website:
https://www.jeanmoust.com/categories/portraits-genre-and-exterior-scenes/winghe-circle-of-joos-van/the-allegories-of-hearing-and-of-taste-7019056