Artwork
Trader in Game
Trader in Game is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Pieter Aertsen. It dates from 1561 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting portrays a merchant accompanied by a woman, surrounded by household objects such as an egg, a tub, a basket and poultry.
The painting portrays a merchant accompanied by a woman, surrounded by household objects such as an egg, a tub, a basket and poultry. Created in 1561 in the Netherlands, it was executed in oil on panel. The work belongs to the genre of genre scenes and is part of the Hermitage Museum’s collection.
The inclusion of food and domestic items has been interpreted as a visual metaphor for material abundance and domestic prosperity.
Technique & Style
Trader in Game is an oil painting on panel, measuring 137 cm by 95 cm, created in the Netherlands in 1561. The work is classified as a genre scene and depicts a market interaction with a man, a woman, an egg, a tub, a basket and poultry. Its execution employs the oil medium typical of Dutch painting of the period, with a focus on detailed representation of everyday objects and figures.
History & Provenance
The painting Trader in Game was executed by Pieter Aertsen in 1561 in the Dutch Republic. It is an oil on panel measuring 137 cm by 95 cm and belongs to the genre of everyday scenes.
The work remained in the artist’s studio until it entered the collection of Russian industrialist Pyotr Semyonov‑Tyan‑Shansky, whose holdings were subsequently acquired by the Hermitage Museum. No documentary evidence of a specific commission survives; the painting is documented only through inventory records that place it in the Hermitage’s gallery by the mid‑20th century.
The painting is held in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. It entered the collection as part of the Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky bequest.
It was included in the exhibition “Art Treasures of the Hermitage,” shown at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, in 1979.
Overview
Pieter Aertsen's 1561 oil painting, Trader in Game, exemplifies his innovative approach to genre scenes. This work portrays a market vendor amidst his wares, blending human interaction with detailed still-life elements. A key figure in Northern Mannerism, Aertsen is recognized for his pioneering role in developing large-scale depictions of everyday life, often imbuing them with deeper meaning.
Legacy
Aertsen's innovative genre scenes, which often incorporated subtle narrative elements, significantly impacted subsequent artistic movements. His work laid groundwork for the development of Flemish Baroque painting and influenced the Dutch still life tradition. His approach to composition and subject matter also found resonance within Italian art circles, demonstrating a broad artistic reach.
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.
