Petrus van Schendel Belgian, 1806-1870

Averilla van Ryswick Lambert (1848-1918), Maryland, USA
Wilton Lambert (1871-1935) and Elizabeth Gorman Lambert (1876-1959) (by descent from the above); thence by descent to the present owner

Centering on an animated street hawker selling cutlery, pipes, and assorted trinkets, this market scene marks an interesting departure from Schendel's usual depictions of vegetable and fish sellers. A lady bargains with him over a jewellery box, another customer peruses his goods, and a dog looks amusingly on. 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, topograhical 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.

There is no evidence to suggest that the present work was exhibited in the Netherlands in 1840 or 1841, and in all probability 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.

We are grateful to Dr Jan de Meere for his assistance in cataloguing this work.