The bookstall of Jozef Blok on the Groote Markt in front of the Boterwaag, The Hague

Jozef Blok, and his brother David, were famous book dealers in The Hague during the second half of the 19th century. Besides his bookstore in the Prinsenstraat, Jozef also distributed literature at his bookstall on the Groote Markt in front of the Boterwaag, which he attended on Mondays and Fridays. Theo Mesker depicts this typical event beautifully. A nonchalant Blok is smoking his pipe and leans against the stall, his daughter Esther helps out while searching cover from the sun under her umbrella. The antiquarian was frequently visited by famous people such as the artist Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), who asked Jozef Blok to pose for him in 1882. According to a label on the reverse the man with the top hat is Mesker's teacher Willem Maris (1844-1910).

Please compare to an almost identical composition by Theo Mesker in the collection of the Jewish Historical Museum, Amsterdam (oil on canvas, 42.5 x 74.5 cm., inv.no. M009624) and in the collection of the Gemeentemuseum, The Hague (oil on canvas, 44 x 53 cm., inv. no. 342).