''The Vegetable Market in Amsterdam'' is an

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

on canvas painting by the Dutch painter

Gabriël Metsu Gabriël Metsu (1629–1667) was a List of Dutch painters, Dutch painter of history paintings, still lifes, portraits, and genre works. He was "a highly eclectic artist, who did not adhere to a consistent style, technique, or one type of subject ...

, created ''c.'' 1660-1661. It is an example of

Dutch Golden Age painting Dutch Golden Age painting is the painting of the Dutch Golden Age, a period in Dutch history roughly spanning the 17th century, during and after the later part of the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) for Dutch independence. The new Dutch Republ ...

and is part of the collection of the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. Hofstede de Groot in 1908 wrote; "It is an excellent work, but it is in an exceedingly damaged condition. The trees are not, on the whole, well rendered; it is obvious that Metsu was no landscape painter..." Sm. says (1833):—"This capital picture has had the reputation of being the ''chef d'œuvre'' of the master, and the large prices for which it has been sold go far to confirm that opinion. The writer, however, can by no means subscribe to it, for there are several described in this work that possess much higher claims to the admiration of the connoisseur." The work is 38 and 32.5 inches, on canvas. It was at one point in the collection of

King Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was e ...

and is now in the Louvre.entry 49 for The Vegetable Market at Amsterdam
in Hofstede de Groot, 1908

Details

This painting was recently cleaned which makes it possible to observe more details than before: File:Gabriel Metsu - Le marché aux herbes (detail market woman seated on her wheelbarrow with turnips carrots and cabbage).jpg, The marketwoman is seated on a wheelbarrow, and turns her head towards the viewer. File:Gabriel Metsu - Le marché aux herbes (detail dog and rooster).jpg, The dog might kill the rooster, which is tied with a string to its cage. File:Gabriel Metsu - Le marché aux herbes (detail chicken carrots onion cauliflower).jpg, The chicken seems free but is sitting in mournful contemplation of the vegetables it will be cooked with. File:Gabriel Metsu - Le marché aux herbes (detail haggling over a hare) (cropped).jpg, A customer buys a hare from a woman in a market stall File:Gabriel Metsu - Le marché aux herbes (detail woman and man in turban).jpg, A seated woman watches a man in a turban attentively. He is possibly a quack or a tea seller. File:Gabriel Metsu - Le marché aux herbes (detail) (cropped).jpg, Across the canal a man and woman seem to be observing the market. File:Gabriel Metsu - Le marché aux herbes (detail wheelbarrow owner).jpg, This woman is the owner of the wheelbarrow. She is wearing the straps she used to support the handles while walking with it. File:Gabriel Metsu - Le marché aux herbes (detail loverboy speaks to young woman waiting for poultry seller).jpg, While a young woman waits for the poultry seller, a young man in theater costume speaks to her. File:Gabriel Metsu - Le marché aux herbes (detail poultry seller) (cropped).jpg, The poultry seller is carrying another load of chickens and looking at his customer.

References

External links

Entry 1 for The Vegetable Market at Amsterdam
in Smith, 1908 reprint
Atlas
entry for Louvre works on display
Discussion of the theatrical aspects
of this painting on Louvre website 1661 paintings Paintings in the Louvre by Dutch artists Paintings by Gabriël Metsu Dogs in art Amsterdam in art Genre paintings {{17C-painting-stub