Petrus van Schendel

With Williams & Son, London, circa 1970;

From whom acquired by the present collector.

G.H. Marius, Dutch Painters of the 19th Century, G. Norman, Woodbridge, 1973, p. 33 repdroduced in black and white

While Petrus van Schendel painted portraits, genre scenes, historical and biblical subjects, it was his evocative scenes of night markets, only slightly illuminated by a lamp, a candle or the moon, that earned him fame. Not merely a painter but also an engineer, the artist experimented with illumination and was intrigued by the possibilities of chemical light sources. His careful observation is evident in this depiction of The Hague’s Groenmarkt seen towards the old Westeinde street, where vegetable sellers, fishmongers, and other vendors have congregated since the Middle Ages.

The diffused light of the candle at left casts an atmospheric glow on the three figures in the foreground, the produce and cobblestones. The dimmer candles of the market beyond highlight the costumes and expressions of market-goers, while the cool, omnipresent radiance of the hiding moon reveals the distinctive architecture of the city’s central square, notably the illuminated Saint Jacob’s Church, at right

Apart from the silhouettes of two men in the background, the present market scene is primarily populated by women. Maids, cooks, and perhaps ladies of the house were the most frequent market visitors, and van Schendel takes great pleasure in painting their distinctive bonnets, skirts, shawls and baskets; the figure carrying a basket atop her head is characteristic of the women of Scheveningen, a fishing village by The Hague. Like all of van Schendel's paintings, the present work should not be viewed quickly, as the intimate scene slowly reveals itself from the dark backgrounds, turning a bustling market into an evocative narrative of Dutch life. Such elaborate compositions were particularly appreciated by collectors throughout Europe and, by the end of the nineteenth century, also by American connoisseurs. 

Inspired by Dutch genre-painters of the Golden Age, notably Godfried Schalcken (1643-1706), Gerrit Dou (1613-1675), and the Utrecht Caravaggisti, van Schendel grew up in Breda and trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. By 1861, when the present work was painted, Schendel was at the height of his artistic powers and enjoyed an international reputation. Queen Victoria acquired a work by van Schendel through the dealer C.J. Nieuwenhuijs as a birthday present for Prince Albert, and it remains in the British Royal Collection to this day.

We would like to thank Dr. Jan de Meere for kindly confirming the authenticity of this lot.