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Lot Essay
Following a long Dutch tradition of candle- or moon-lit market scenes or the so-called 'nocturnes', Petrus van Schendel became the most famous painter of this subject in the 19th century. The genre was made popular in the 17th century by Rembrandt's pupil Gerard Dou (1613-1675) and inspired by the work of the Utrecht Caravaggisti, comprising Gerrit van Honthorst (1592-1656), Hendrick ter Brugghen (1588-1629), Godfried Schalken (1643-1706) and Dirck van Baburen (1594-1624), who, in their turn, were inspired by the majestic use of light in the paintings of Michelangelo Carravaggio (1573-1610). During the 18th century the subject was less widely used, but made fashionable again by painters of the Romantic School, led by Petrus van Schendel.
We would like to thank Dr. Jan de Meere for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.Petrus van Schendel was born in the small village of Terheyden, son of Gijsbertus van Schendel and Geertruida Brox. After the death of his father, the family moved to Breda. In 1822 van Schendel left his hometown to take lessons at the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, which at that time was led by the history painter Mathijs van Bree (1773-1838). In 1829 van Schendel returned to live with his brother in Breda and in Amsterdam until he met Elizabeth Grasveld (1807-1850), who became his first wife. She bore him thirteen children. After her death in 1850 van Schendel would marry twice more and have two more children. Petrus van Schendel was a man of many talents for not only was he a celebrated painter, but he also was an engineer and inventor. He also developed a course on linear perspective for young artists. In 1861 he had these theories published in Breda. He died in Brussels in 1870.
Already in 1829 while van Schendel was still living in Breda, he was actively developing his career as a painter. An important contact at that time was Johannes Immerzeel, an art dealer from The Hague, with whom he frequently corresponded. As van Schendel was a prolific artist, he sent regular shipments of paintings all over the country, and from 1827 onward also abroad.
The present lot was painted in The Hague in 1843 and shows a night market, possibly Rotterdam, as it existed in the time of the artist. Lighting after sunset or in early morning was provided by oil lamps and candles. He painted a complex but very clear composition with numerous figures and stalls lit by candles, oil lamps, a street lantern and a bleak moon. The windmill depicted in the background is a so-called Smock-mill that is rarely seen in paintings by van Schendel. The artist has succeeded in showing the various ways in which the different sorts of light are reflected by the warm smooth and translucent skin of the young woman. An abundance of fresh vegetables and fruit fill the baskets of the market stalls and the wheelbarrow in the foreground.
We would like to thank Dr. Jan de Meere for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.Petrus van Schendel was born in the small village of Terheyden, son of Gijsbertus van Schendel and Geertruida Brox. After the death of his father, the family moved to Breda. In 1822 van Schendel left his hometown to take lessons at the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, which at that time was led by the history painter Mathijs van Bree (1773-1838). In 1829 van Schendel returned to live with his brother in Breda and in Amsterdam until he met Elizabeth Grasveld (1807-1850), who became his first wife. She bore him thirteen children. After her death in 1850 van Schendel would marry twice more and have two more children. Petrus van Schendel was a man of many talents for not only was he a celebrated painter, but he also was an engineer and inventor. He also developed a course on linear perspective for young artists. In 1861 he had these theories published in Breda. He died in Brussels in 1870.
Already in 1829 while van Schendel was still living in Breda, he was actively developing his career as a painter. An important contact at that time was Johannes Immerzeel, an art dealer from The Hague, with whom he frequently corresponded. As van Schendel was a prolific artist, he sent regular shipments of paintings all over the country, and from 1827 onward also abroad.
The present lot was painted in The Hague in 1843 and shows a night market, possibly Rotterdam, as it existed in the time of the artist. Lighting after sunset or in early morning was provided by oil lamps and candles. He painted a complex but very clear composition with numerous figures and stalls lit by candles, oil lamps, a street lantern and a bleak moon. The windmill depicted in the background is a so-called Smock-mill that is rarely seen in paintings by van Schendel. The artist has succeeded in showing the various ways in which the different sorts of light are reflected by the warm smooth and translucent skin of the young woman. An abundance of fresh vegetables and fruit fill the baskets of the market stalls and the wheelbarrow in the foreground.