Artwork Page for The Bird Seller

Details / Information for The Bird Seller

The Bird Seller

c. 1700–1710

Willem van Mieris

(Dutch, 1662–1747)
Culture
Netherlands
Medium
black and white chalk on blue paper, laid down on brown paper
Measurements
Sheet: 36.4 x 28.9 cm (14 5/16 x 11 3/8 in.); Matted: 41 x 31.8 x 0.3 cm (16 1/8 x 12 1/2 x 1/8 in.); Image: 26 x 22.3 cm (10 1/4 x 8 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 2019.10
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

In 17th-century Holland, market scenes portraying a man and a woman often had amorous undertones.

Description

In this market scene, the Dutch artist Willem van Mieris portrayed a man and woman in a poultry shop who negotiate over the price of a bird. A curtain is pulled aside above to reveal the scene—as if the viewer sees something in secret—while a faux relief panel below them portrays amorous putti. Market scenes portraying a man and a woman often carried amorous or lascivious connotations in 17th-century Holland, undertones that were acknowledged and enjoyed by the middle-class patrons who purchased such works.
A vertically oriented chalk drawing in black and white on blue paper depicts three people with light skin tones at a market stall. Under a stone arch, a man on the left gestures with a basket toward a woman pulling a bird from a basket on the right. A rabbit and birds hang from the sides. Below the counter, a relief features winged children. Shading and highlights create depth against the cool paper.

The Bird Seller

c. 1700–1710

Willem van Mieris

(Dutch, 1662–1747)
Netherlands

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