A female figure feeling an arrow with her finger; representing the sense of touch. Mezzotint by A. Vanhacken after J. Amiconi.

Featured on PDR in the essay Scurvy and the Terra Incognita

One remarkable symptom of scurvy, that constant bane of the Age of Discovery, was the acute and morbid heightening of the senses. Jonathan Lamb explores how this unusual effect of sailing into uncharted territory echoed a different kind of voyage, one undertaken by the Empiricists through their experiments in enhancing the senses artificially.

Allegory for the Sense of Touch

Artist

Date

18th century


Underlying Rights

Public Domain Worldwide

Digital Rights

No Additional Rights


Image Size

742 x 1024 Higher res available?

 Download Image