PETRUS VAN SCHENDEL | The Noordermarkt by Night, Amsterdam

Averilla van Ryswick Lambert (1848-1918), Maryland, USA

Wilton Lambert (1871-1935) and Elizabeth Gorman Lambert (1876-1959) (by descent from the above)

British Private Collection (by descent from the above; sale: Sotheby's, London, 16 November 2005, lot 259)

MacConnal-Mason Ltd., London

Purchased from the above by the present owner

Centering on an animated street hawker selling cutlery, pipes, and assorted trinkets, this market scene is a rare and interesting departure from Schendel's usual depictions of vegetable and fish sellers. A girl bargains with him over a jewellery box while another customer peruses his offerings. In the background, other stalls, including a cheese seller's booth in the right background, are lit by their own light sources. 

The market is the Noordermarkt in Amsterdam, with the tower of the Noorderkirk in the background. The church was designed by the famous architect Hendrik de Keyser in 1620, and was completed in 1623. The house to the right with the distinctive stepped gable is the well-known corner house in Prinsengracht. Van Schendel, for compositional reasons, brought the two buildings closer together than they really are. As always, topographical accuracy came second to van Schendel's interest in the effects of candle and twilight on figures, faces, and objects, which earned him the nickname 'Monsieur Chandelle'. The chiaroscuro effects in the present work are masterful, from the warmly glowing faces to the backlit dog, barrow and jug in the foreground.

It is likely that the present painting was bought directly from the artist, whose work was already well known and in demand by 1840. Schendel enjoyed great popularity in the United States even during his own lifetime, and the present work found its way into an American collection by around 1870.