Who painted Fish Market?

Fish Market was painted by Frans Snyders in 1620-01-01.

Where can I see Fish Market?

Fish Market is held by Hermitage Museum.

What movement is Fish Market?

Fish Market is associated with Flemish Baroque painting.

Fish Market by Frans Snyders (1620) · Meaning & Museum

About this work

Subject & Meaning

Executed in oil on canvas in 1620, the work was later owned by Louis Antoine Crozat and Empress Catherine II before entering the Hermitage Museum collection.

The painting presents a bustling fish market set in early-17th-century Flanders. A man stands at a market stall surrounded by displayed fish, while a cat prowls nearby and a seal rests on the ground, emphasizing the variety of marine products on offer. The composition captures the commercial exchange of foodstuffs and the abundance of the sea that sustained local economies.

Executed in oil on canvas in 1620, the work was later owned by Louis Antoine Crozat and Empress Catherine II before entering the Hermitage Museum collection.

Technique & Style

Fish Market is an oil painting executed on canvas, measuring 210.5 cm in height by 340 cm in width. Its large horizontal format accommodates a multi-figure genre scene set at a market stall, populated with men, displayed fish, a cat, and a seal. The work was produced in Flanders in 1620 and is attributed jointly to Frans Snyders and Cornelis de Vos.

The composition is organized around the bustling activity of a fish market, with figures and goods arranged across the broad canvas to convey depth and abundance. The inclusion of live animals alongside the produce reflects the lively, observational handling characteristic of Flemish genre painting of the period.

History & Provenance

Fish Market, created in 1620 in Flanders, is an oil-on-canvas work attributed to Frans Snyders and Cornelis de Vos. The composition depicts a bustling market scene featuring fish, a man, a market stall, a cat, and a seal, and measures 210.5 cm in height by 340 cm in width. Its ownership history begins with the French collector Louis Antoine Crozat, after which the painting entered the collection of Catherine II of Russia, who acquired it for what is now the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, where it remains. The available sources do not list specific inventory numbers or detail its exhibition history.

Context

Fish Market (1620) is an oil on canvas genre scene painted by Frans Snyders, in collaboration with Cornelis de Vos, and measures 210.5 cm by 340 cm. The work depicts a bustling fish stall with figures, a cat, and a seal, reflecting the commercial activity of early-17th-century Flemish markets. It was produced in Flanders and entered the collection of Louis Antoine Crozat before being acquired by Catherine II for the Hermitage Museum.

Scholars consider the painting a key example of Snyders' specialization in market subjects and of the collaborative practice between him and de Vos, marking a phase in which genre scenes gained prominence in Flemish art. Its presence in the Hermitage underscores the acquisition of Flemish works by the Russian court and illustrates the painting's lasting reputation as a vivid record of contemporary commercial life.

Overview

Frans Snyders completed Fish Market in 1620, an oil painting that captures a lively genre scene. This work presents a bustling market environment, focusing on the abundant display of various foodstuffs. The artist's detailed rendering invites viewers into a dynamic commercial setting, characteristic of the period's interest in everyday life.