Artwork
Woman selling herring
Woman selling herring is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Godfried Schalcken. It dates from 1689 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts a genre scene featuring a woman selling herring, a common subject in Dutch Golden Age art that captures everyday commercial life.
The work depicts a genre scene featuring a woman selling herring, a common subject in Dutch Golden Age art that captures everyday commercial life. Created by Godfried Schalcken in 1677, the painting presents a straightforward representation of a market vendor engaged in her trade. As a genre painting, the subject focuses on the realism of daily activities rather than allegorical or mythological narratives.
The composition serves to document the visual culture of 17th-century commerce, highlighting the figure of the female vendor within a domestic or street setting without explicit symbolic layering beyond the literal act of selling fish.
Technique & Style
Created in 1677, Woman selling herring is an oil painting executed on a panel support. The work measures 19 cm in height and 15.5 cm in width, reflecting the small-scale format typical of the artist's genre scenes. As a piece of genre art by Godfried Schalcken, the painting depicts a domestic subject rendered in oil paint, adhering to the material practices of the Dutch Golden Age. The compact dimensions suggest a focus on intimate, detailed observation characteristic of the period's cabinet paintings.
History & Provenance
Godfried Schalcken executed the oil painting Woman selling herring in 1677. The work was created on a panel support measuring 19 cm by 15.5 cm.
The painting's documented ownership history begins with Lucretia Johanna van Winter. It subsequently passed through the Six family collection, held successively by Hendrik Six van Hillegom, Jan Pieter Six VI, Pieter Hendrik Six van Vromade, and Jan Six van Vromade. The work is currently associated with the collections of the Rijksmuseum and the Dordrechts Museum.
The painting Woman selling herring by Godfried Schalcken is held in the collections of both the Rijksmuseum and the Dordrechts Museum. Historical ownership records trace the work through a lineage of the Six family, including Jan Pieter Six VI and Pieter Hendrik Six van Vromade, before passing to Lucretia Johanna van Winter and Hendrik Six van Hillegom. The provided sources do not contain specific accession numbers or a documented exhibition history for this artwork.
Overview
Woman selling herring is a 1689 oil painting by Godfried Schalcken, a Dutch artist known for his genre scenes and portraits. The work is part of the Rijksmuseum's collection.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Godfried Schalcken (8 October 1643 – 16 November 1706) was a Dutch artist who specialized in genre paintings and portraits.
