Cleveland Museum of Art

The Bird Seller

Willem van Mieris

Date

c. 1700–1710

Medium

black and white chalk on blue paper, laid down on brown paper

Culture

Netherlands

Department

Drawings

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

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

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