Artwork
Market Woman at the Vegetable Stall
Market Woman at the Vegetable Stall is an unspecified painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Pieter Aertsen. It dates from 1567 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Created in 1567 by Pieter Aertsen, Market Woman at the Vegetable Stall is a genre scene depicting a woman positioned before an abundant display of produce.
Created in 1567 by Pieter Aertsen, Market Woman at the Vegetable Stall is a genre scene depicting a woman positioned before an abundant display of produce. The composition foregrounds a rich assortment of items including cauliflower, red cabbage, carrots, pumpkins, kohlrabi, cucumbers, grapes, lemons, and various nuts and fruits such as walnuts and apricots. Beyond the vegetables, the work incorporates animal figures like a cow and fish, as well as a horse and cart in the background.
This dense arrangement of foodstuffs and market elements characterizes the painting as a detailed representation of daily commerce and agricultural abundance in the Netherlands. The focus on the woman and her wares establishes the work as a specific study of market life, emphasizing the material wealth and variety available in the sixteenth-century Dutch economy.
Technique & Style
Market Woman at the Vegetable Stall is painted in oil on a single oak panel, a common support for Northern European works of the mid-16th century. The handling combines careful layering with a lively, almost sketch-like freedom in the handling of drapery and foliage. The composition balances detailed still-life passages, such as the crisp leaves of red cabbage and the translucent skin of a lemon, with broader, gestural brushwork in the figures and background architecture.
Stylistically, the work merges genre realism with a pronounced Mannerist sensibility, evident in the exaggerated scale of the foreground vegetables and the diagonal push of the stall into the viewer’s space. The palette is earthy and saturated, with deep greens, warm ochres, and flashes of vermilion in the woman’s sleeves and fruit. No evidence of significant overpainting or structural damage is recorded, suggesting the panel remains close to its original condition.
History & Provenance
Market Woman at the Vegetable Stall is a 1567 oil painting on oak panel by Pieter Aertsen, produced in the Netherlands. The work entered the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin and is presently exhibited in Room VI of that museum. Its creation date is recorded as 1567, and the painting’s dimensions are approximately 111 cm by 110 cm. The composition depicts a bustling market scene with numerous vegetables and objects, reflecting the genre‑scene tradition of the period. The painting’s material and genre are noted as oak panel and genre art, respectively.
The work titled Market Woman at the Vegetable Stall, painted by Pieter Aertsen in 1567 on oak panel, is part of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin’s collection. Its accession is recorded as an item within the museum’s holdings, though the specific accession number is not specified in the available records. The painting has been on public view in Room VI of the Gemäldegalerie since its acquisition, forming part of the permanent display of 16th‑century genre scenes.
Legacy
The painting’s composition of a bustling market scene with abundant produce set a precedent for later Dutch genre and still‑life works, emphasizing the everyday abundance of the market and the textures of foodstuffs. Its detailed inventory of vegetables and household items informed the visual language of 17th‑century market paintings and was cited by contemporary artists as a model for integrating narrative detail with naturalistic rendering. The work’s inclusion in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin’s collection and its display in Room VI have contributed to its scholarly reputation as a key example of Northern Renaissance market genre, influencing exhibitions that trace the development of genre painting from the 16th to the 19th century.
Overview
Pieter Aertsen completed Market Woman at the Vegetable Stall in 1567, a painting rendered in oil on an oak panel. This work exemplifies the Northern Mannerist style and represents a significant development in the genre scene, a type of painting that gained prominence during the Dutch Golden Age. The composition, now housed in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin, showcases Aertsen's innovative approach to depicting everyday life with a grand scale.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Pieter Aertsen (1508 in Amsterdam – 2 June 1575 in Amsterdam), called Lange Piet ("Tall Pete") because of his height, was a Dutch painter in the style of Northern Mannerism.
Market scene with fruit and vegetables, and an amorous couple
Kitchen scene
Kitchen Scene, with Jesus in the House of Martha and Mary in the background
Still Life with Fruit and Vegetables, with Christ at Emmaus in the background
The Fat Kitchen. An Allegory
The Fat Kitchen. An Allegory
Still Life with a Maid
The Well-stocked Kitchen
Küchenstück