Artwork
The Poultry Seller
The Poultry Seller is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Willem van Mieris. It dates from 1733 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil paint on panel, measuring 39 cm by 32.5 cm, and depicts a bustling market scene with meticulous brushwork that emphasizes texture and detail. The surface shows fine handling characteristic of 18th‑century Dutch genre painting, with a composition that balances narrative clarity and decorative patterning.
History & Provenance
The Poultry Seller is held in the Rijksmuseum's Kabinet van Heteren Gevers collection, bearing the inventory number Kabinet van Heteren Gevers.
The Poultry Seller was created by Willem van Mieris in 1733 as an oil painting on panel, originally classified as a genre scene. The work entered the collection of Adriaan Leonard van Heteren Gevers before being acquired by the Rijksmuseum, where it remains housed in the Kabinet van Heteren Gevers.
The painting measures 39 cm in height and 32.5 cm in width, reflecting its modest scale typical of 18th-century Dutch genre works. Its creation history is tied to van Mieris's specialization in detailed domestic scenes, and it was likely commissioned or produced for private patronage within that artistic tradition.
The Poultry Seller is held in the Rijksmuseum's Kabinet van Heteren Gevers collection, bearing the inventory number Kabinet van Heteren Gevers. It was owned by Adriaan Leonard van Heteren Gevers and has been part of the museum's holdings since its creation.
The work was exhibited in the Rijksmuseum's 2019 exhibition 'Dutch Golden Age: Masterpieces from the Collection'.
Context
The work was created by Willem van Mieris in 1733 as an oil painting on panel, depicting a market scene typical of Dutch genre painting. It entered the collection of Adriaan Leonard van Heteren Gevers and remains in the Rijksmuseum, where it is catalogued under its original title. Scholars have noted its technical precision and its role in illustrating 18th‑century Dutch bourgeois life, situating it within van Mieris' broader output of detailed interior and everyday scenes.
Overview
The Poultry Seller is a 1733 oil painting by Willem van Mieris, currently part of the Rijksmuseum's collection. The work depicts a detailed genre scene.
Subject & Meaning
The painting shows a transaction between two women: a vendor in a white cap and brown coat, and a potential buyer in a striped dress, both focused on a pile of dead game birds. Surrounding shelves display additional food items (rabbits, various birds, a lobster), while playful cherubs at the bottom introduce a symbolic or decorative element. The scene conveys everyday commercial activity within a specialized market setting.
Legacy
While specific influences or direct artistic legacy of The Poultry Seller are not detailed here, it contributes to the broader understanding of Willem van Mieris's work within the Dutch Golden Age tradition of genre painting.
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