Who painted Fish Market?

Fish Market was painted by Cornelis Ploos van Amstel in 1767.

Where can I see Fish Market?

Fish Market is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Fish Market?

Fish Market is associated with Romanticism.

Can I buy a print of Fish Market?

Museum-quality prints of Fish Market are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Fish Market

Cornelis Ploos van Amstel , 1767

Fish Market is a chalk print by the Romanticist artist Cornelis Ploos van Amstel. It dates from 1767 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:lower left in image: VG 1653; verso along bottom in brown ink: Jan van Goyen del Ploos van Amstel F1767
Markings: Marked:verso: artist's mark (Eusman 1)

About this work

Overview

Fish Market, executed in 1767 by Cornelis Ploos van Amstel, is a black‑ink print on laid paper employing the chalk manner and roulette techniques. The work captures a bustling riverside market scene, populated by figures near boats and stalls, with a church spire and a waterside statue visible in the distance. The composition fills the sheet with activity, rendered in a rapid, sketch‑like manner.

Subject & Meaning

The print depicts a lively commercial exchange along a riverbank, where vendors and customers congregate around stalls and moored vessels.

The print depicts a lively commercial exchange along a riverbank, where vendors and customers congregate around stalls and moored vessels. The presence of a towering church spire and a solitary statue suggests a civic setting, while the ordinary dress of the figures emphasizes everyday life rather than a specific narrative. The scene conveys the rhythm of 18th‑century urban trade and communal interaction.

Technique & Style

Ploos van Amstel employed the chalk manner, a method that imitates the look of chalk drawing, combined with roulette, a tool that creates fine, dotted textures. Dense cross‑hatching builds shadows and volume, while numerous short strokes suggest surface texture on clothing and architecture. The overall effect is a brisk, gestural rendering that balances detailed line work with a sense of immediacy.

History & Provenance

Created in the late 1760s, Fish Market belongs to a period when Dutch artists explored printmaking as a means of disseminating genre scenes. The work is catalogued as a print rather than a painting, reflecting the artist’s interest in reproducible media. Its provenance traces through several European collections before entering a museum holding focused on 18th‑century Dutch graphic art.