Beskrivning: Se även beskrivning i den engelska versionen

Catalogue raisonné: Description in Flemish paintings C. 1600-C. 1800 III, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, 2010, cat.no. 173: 


Technical notes: The support consists of a piece of
coarse fabric woven in a plain weave technique that has
been marouflaged to a hardboard.
The preparation seems to cover the structure of the
fabric completely.
The paint layer is opaque and contains impasto elements
in the highlights. The figures and architecture are
painted economically. The figures are not modelled well.
They are rendered opaquely with impasto used for highlights
and emphasis. The foliage of the tree in the middle
has distinct highlights in a zigzag pattern (more obvious
than in no. 171). The hills in the background are painted
in a sfumato technique. The palette probably consists of
the same colour mixtures as no. 172 of red, blue and
white colours as well as earth colours. There is minor
craquelure in the paint layer in areas with dark colours,
this occurs mainly in the lower section of the painting.
The technique and material seem to match no. 172.

Provenance: Johan Gabriel Stenbock 1705; Christina
Beata Lillie; Stina Lillie 1727; Johan Gabriel Sack 1727;
Eva Bielke 1751; auction after Eva Bielke, Stockholm
1778; purchased by Gustav III 1778; Gustav III 1792, no.
204 (as Adriaen Fransz. Boudewijns); KM 1795, no. 131;
KM 1816, no. 213

Bibliography: Sander II, p. 121, no. 204; Göthe 1887, p.
27 (as attributed to Adriaen Fransz. Boudewijns); Göthe
1893, pp. 34–35 (as attributed to Adriaen Fransz. Boudewijns);
NM Cat. 1958, p. 182; NM Cat. 1990, p. 328.

This painting is a companion piece to no. 172 and
depicts a market square in a town. The painting contains
a wealth of figures and a large number of architectural
features that include urban buildings. The
composition of the painting consists of a foreground
and middle ground in which there are large numbers
of figures, some sitting and others walking, riding or
standing. Men, women and children are depicted,
some of them in oriental dress. A number of animals
are also included in the work in the form of a few
cows, sheep and dogs. To the left in the foreground we
can see a number of open rowing boats on their way to
and from the beach. Some individuals are carrying
baskets full of fruit or vegetables. The gathering
depicted in the market square is a large one and the
individuals are depicted with varying poses and gestures.
In the foremost section of the background a
town is depicted with its wall, church and secular
buildings. To the left of the town there is a bridge with
three arches and behind it another settlement as well
as high mountains. In the clear sky a number of birds
can be seen flying among the light clouds.
In earlier texts this painting was attributed
to Boudewijns (NM Cat. 1867) with the added comment
that Pieter Bout and Schoevaerdts were responsible
for the figures. Göthe also refers to Boudewijns and a
number of his works in Brunswick and Antwerp, but
comments that they are more elegantly executed.
According to letters from Gerson-Gudlaugsson dated
the 9 June and 17 August 1956, the painting should
instead by attributed to Boudewijn’s pupil M. Schoevaerdts.
1 There are technical and stylistic grounds for
considering this a more probable attribution than to
Boudewijns, for whom Matthijs Schoevardts was for
some time a pupil.

The Swedish provenance of the two paintings is
long-standing and can be traced as far back as to 1705
and the Stenbock family. After having been inherited
by the Lillie, Sack and Bielke families, they were finally
purchased by Gustav III at the auction of the estate
of Eva Bielke in 1778. In the king’s collection they
were considered to be works by Boudewijns but have
since 1956 been attributed to his pupil Matthijs Schoevardts.
KS

1 Letter from Gerson at RKD to Bengt Dahlbäck, 9 June 1956, in NM
curatorial files.[End]

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