Artwork
Italian marketplace
Italian marketplace is an unspecified painting by the Baroque artist Jacob van der Ulft. It dates from 1670 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. This 17th-century Italian painting depicts a vibrant marketplace scene set against the backdrop of a church.
About this work
Technique & Style
Stylistically, the work falls within the Baroque movement and reflects van der Ulft's signature Italianate manner.
Classified as a painting, Italian marketplace belongs to the genre-scene tradition and is associated with Jacob van der Ulft's mature practice, dated between 1650 and 1689. Van der Ulft worked across oil painting, gouache, drawing, engraving, and stained glass, and was trained and highly accomplished as a glass painter, a discipline in which he was regarded by Arnold Houbraken as the finest of his century.
Stylistically, the work falls within the Baroque movement and reflects van der Ulft's signature Italianate manner. Although he is not believed to have traveled to Italy, he produced numerous Italianizing landscapes populated with monuments and triumphal arches, basing such compositions on Italianate prints. His approach is characterized by meticulous topographical detail and the inclusion of staffage figures in varied dress and occupation, lending his scenes a densely populated, highly finished quality.
History & Provenance
Jacob van der Ulft created the Italian marketplace painting between 1650 and 1689 while operating as a Dutch artist active in Gorinchem. He was registered there from 1652 to 1683, worked as both a painter and architect, and served as mayor from 1660 to 1679 before fleeing corruption accusations in 1679. The work belongs to his genre scene classification and reflects his specialization in architectural and city views, though he never visited Italy, drawing instead from Italianate prints. His technique adapted techniques from Dirk Crabeth and Wouter Crabeth, particularly in stained glass painting, while his Italianate landscapes featured monuments and triumphal arches rendered in oil and engraving.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jacob van der Ulft (Dutch pronunciation:; 1621–1689) was a Dutch painter, glass painter, print artist, architect and mayor. He was known for his architectural and city views, landscapes and topographical views.
