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Thomas Hart Benton
Spring on the Missouri
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Mali, Bamana
Pair of Antelope Headdresses
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Thomas Cole
Romantic Landscape
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Mexican, Vera Cruz Culture, El Zapotal Style
Standing Female Deity or Deity Impersonator
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Frans Snyders
Market Scene on a Quay
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Focus Works of Art
Market Scene on a Quay
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Frans Snyders
(Flemish, 1579 - 1657)
Market Scene on a Quay,
1635 |
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This large painting shows the abundant foods available in the Flemish port of Antwerp in the 17th century, including fish, crustaceans, fowl, game and produce. All of the colorful items in the market stall are carefully displayed to attract the buyer's (or viewer's) attention. The large white swan catches our eye and tempts us to investigate other items on the wooden table, such as the doe, peacock and bowl of lemons. The vertical line of the buck's body on the right carries our eye up to a row of butcher's hooks, from which hang carcasses of grouse, rabbits, hens and possibly a wild boar. This arrangement is quite different from the tidy display of packaged foods in today's grocery stores. Rather, the scene suggests hunters have brought these animals to market fresh from nearby fields and forests.
Underneath the table, kittens add a comic touch to the painting as they attempt to steal finches from a basket of shorebirds and songbirds. Two Eurasian curlews rest beside artichokes, melons and a bunch of white asparagus. On the left the boy empties a shiny brass bowl of fish onto a pile of eels and fish recently caught in the water behind him. Meanwhile a cat lunges toward a seal begging for a fight.
What are some characteristics of Frans Snyders's paintings?
Frans Snyders was a master of still life and animal painting. Like this market scene, his works usually display seemingly haphazard arrangements of objects, often piled on top of one another. Upon closer inspection, however, one notices the objects are neatly organized into groups that provide structure for his compositions. The artist uses bright colors and diagonal lines to guide our attention to these key areas of his paintings. His careful study and depiction of animal fur, feathers and anatomy make his scenes even more appealing. However, Snyders's paintings are not just intended to be feasts for our eyes. He often juxtaposes dead and living animals to remind us of the life cycle and the fact that we, too, will die. The elaborate displays also document the abundance and prosperity of the region.
What was Antwerp like in the 17th century?
Antwerp had been an important center of the spice trade in the 16th century and was still the leading commercial center of Flanders at the time this work was created. Luxuries, like the artichokes and melons in this painting, entered Flanders through this port. Spanish control of the region provided Antwerp with global trade routes that brought a variety of exotic imports to this part of Europe.
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Below are suggestions for using the Focus Work of Art with students in the classroom. The activity and discussion ideas are listed in order of difficulty. The activity instructions and italicized discussion questions may be presented directly to students. The icons below each suggestion note the related subject area(s). Click on each icon to determine which subject area it represents. Browse the thematic Lesson Plans for more ideas on how to use this work of art and theme in the classroom. |
- Going to Market
Discuss the differences between today's grocery stores and this open-air market. What factors have made it easier to obtain food? (refrigeration, greenhouses, packaging) How have these changes affected nutrition? As an extension, visit a grocery store and speak with employees to discover the type of work they do and the functions the store serves.
 
- Identification
Identify the birds, fish and vegetables in this painting. Classify each of them as herbivores or carnivores. Categorize them by habitat and locate their native environments on a world map.
- Still Lifes
Create a still-life arrangement of inanimate objects. Consider how the organization of the objects, fall of light and your point of view influence the final composition. Draw the still life from different angles. Create a classroom exhibition of these still lifes and compare the different views.
- Bird Study
Select a species of bird to study. Draw this bird from life or a photograph. Include visual details that inform the viewer about the bird's habitat and what it eats. Write a brief description of this species of bird to accompany your drawing. As an extension, take a nature walk or visit a museum to see examples of different species of birds.
- Abundant Antwerp
Define the word abundance. Why would a 17th-century city be proud of this abundant display? What does it say about their political and social stability? Study Antwerp's trade routes during the 17th century. (For more information, research Antwerp's history or the diamond trade.) Map these routes and the imports that traveled along them on a world map.
- Food Chain
Using a graphic organizer, chart how these animals and vegetables are connected on the food chain. (Do not forget to include humans.) Predict what would happen to the food chain if one or more of these animals were endangered or extinct. Discuss the importance of preserving species from extinction. Consider what humans can do and cannot do to ensure the survival of other species.
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