The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 20, 2025

The Bird Seller

c. 1700–1710

Willem van Mieris

(Dutch, 1662–1747)
Netherlands
black and white chalk on blue paper, laid down on brown paper
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.)
John L. Severance Fund 2019.10
Location: Not on view

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.
  • July 8, 2003
    Christie's, London, England
    2003-2019
    Private Collection, Amsterdam, Netherlands
    March 4, 2019
    the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=The Bird Seller|url=false|author=Willem van Mieris|year=c. 1700–1710|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2019.10