(Terheide 1806–1870 Brussels)
The Poultry market, c. 1852, signed P. van Schendel, oil on panel, 65.4 x 49 cm, framed

Provenance:
European Private Collection.

Exhibited:
Breda, Breda’s Museum and Luxembourg, Villa Vauban, Petrus van Schendel: Master of the Evening Light/Die Farben der Nacht. Der Maler Petrus van Schendel, 2012–2013.

Catalogued and illustrated in:
Jan de Meere, Petrus van Schendel, een leven tussen licht en donker, 2012, p. 11, no. 1.

We are grateful to Dr. Jan de Meere who confirmed the authenticity on the basis of the original.

Painted circa 1852, the present lot ranks among Petrus van Schendel’s finest compositions. It refers to another painting by the artist, a view of the Fish Market in Rotterdam, from 1851, which is illustrated on the cover of Dr. Jan de Meere’s book on the artist: Petrus van Schendel (1806-1870) Een leven tussen licht en donker, 2012. Both scenes are populated by women, the most frequent market visitors. The artist shows the interaction between the three figures. The lady visiting the market stall is talking to the seller. They seem to be negotiating about the price. The standing lady is attentively following the discussions.

The single lantern at the center of the scene provides the majority of the illumination and is reinforced by the moonlight. The stalls are lit by their own light sources. Van Schendel specialized indeed in nocturnal market scenes with candles and moonlight. He was influenced by the seventeenth century Utrecht Caravaggisti such as Dirck van Baburen, Gerrit van Honthorst and Hendrick ter Brugghen.