Thursday, November 8, 2012

Painting of the Day: The Grocer's Shop: a Woman Selling Grapes, 1672

The Grocer's Shop:  A Woman Selling Grapes
Gerrit Dou, 1672
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II


Dutch artist Gerrit Dou(1613-75) created this genre painting in 1672. It’s a fine example of his later work and the use of a warmer color palette which he exhibited in the 1670s. This painting, purchased by the Prince Regent (later King George IV) in 1817, depicts a grocer’s shop, a continuation of the Sixteenth Century tradition of artistic views of market scenes.

The scene is framed by a stone, arched window below which is seen a relief of children playing with a goat. This composition is thought to be inspired by a Roman marble by François Duquesnoy (Galleria Doria Pamphili, Rome). The artistic device of the archway at once draws the viewer in as well as distances him from the figures in the composition.



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