A village square with market scene

Flemish school of the 1700th century (circa 1629), circle of Pieter van Bredael (Antwerp 1719 – XNUMX)
A village square with market scene
oil on canvas, 78 x 108 cm., with frame 94 x 121 cm.

Complete details of the painting: https://www.antichitacastelbarco.it/it/prodotti/scuola-olandese-1700-circa–scena-di-mercato

This fascinating popular scene with a bustling market in the main square is the work of a Flemish artist active around 1700: it is an interesting glimpse of daily life in a small village in the Golden Age of Holland. In the square teeming with people with typical houses in the background and a large gushing fountain, we can witness the hustle and bustle that revolves around market day, with figures from all social backgrounds busy with their activities.

Even if it is difficult to trace the canvas to the hand of a particular author, given the predilection of many authors for this kind of rich compositions, we can however bring its execution closer to the circle of the Antwerp painter Pieter van Bredael (Antwerp 1629–1719).
Van Bredael, who was part of a large family of painters, is recorded as a pupil in the workshop of David Ryckaert III in 1640. After study trips to the Netherlands and Spain he became master of the Guild of St. Luke in Antwerp in 1651. He also worked in Italy, especially in Rome, where he was strongly influenced by the compositional style of the Bamboccianti group.

He was well known for his highly imaginative market scenes which illustrated the diverse spectrum of daily city life. His landscape paintings are characterized by bright color accents, often populated by many figures that cannot help but evoke the style of Jan Brueghel the Elder.

Below we show you some of the author's works, with which it is easy to recognize stylistic and compositional analogies with our painting.
Dorotheum, Vienna, Alte Meister, 20.10.2015, https://www.dorotheum.com/it/l/2331175/
Christie's, London 11.04.2013, https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-attributed-to-pieter-van-bredael-antwerp-1629-1719-5666255/?from=s…
Musée des beaux-arts de Besançon, France, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Peeter_van_Bredael_-_Village_Feast_In_Italy.jpg
Staatliches Museum, Schwerin, Germany, https://www.photo.rmn.fr/archive/11-558864-2C6NU0WMV4Q3.html
Sotheby's, London, 7.7.1993, https://www.akg-images.co.uk/CS.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&ITEMID=2UMDHUNQ9LZI&LANGSWI=1&LANG…
Hampel Munich, 26.09.2018, https://www.hampel-auctions.com/a/Pieter-van-Bredael-1629-1719-zug.html?a=116&s=618&id=55135…