Ribera's depiction of the sense of taste: A case of ‘gouty arthritis’ resulting from overindulgence?

Abstract

Jusepe de Ribera's seventeenth-century painting devoted to the sense of taste, part of a series on the five senses, depicts a man from one of 'the humbler walks of life' enjoying his meal. The redness of the man's cheeks and nose, and the swollen index finger on his left hand, are discussed in relation to the food and drink shown in the painting. It is suggested that the man's high purine intake combined with a substantial quantity of alcohol supports the hypothesis that the swollen finger is affected by gout, which was traditionally considered a 'patrician disease'. Ribera's portrayal of a well-fed but non-patrician figure with gouty arthritis of the finger may have been intended as a warning against overindulgence and gluttony at all levels of society.