A Poultry Market in a Dutch Town
Medium
Pencil, pen and brown ink, gray wash, pen and brown ink framing lines
Dimensions
sheet: 4 15/16 x 7 7/16 in. (12.6 x 18.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace and David T. Schiff Gifts, The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, Anonymous Gift, in memory of Frits Markus, and Mrs. Howard J. Barnet and Fifth Floor Foundation Gifts, 2002
Accession Number
2002.122
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Willem Pietersz. Buytewech’s *A Poultry Market in a Dutch Town* captures the lively commerce of everyday life in the Netherlands during the early Dutch Golden Age. Created 1621, the drawing reflects a period of economic prosperity when bustling markets became popular subjects, celebrating trade, community, and abundance. Buytewech, known for his spirited genre scenes, often infused such works with a sense of movement and human interaction. Executed in pencil, pen and brown ink with gray wash, the sheet demonstrates the artist’s skillful use of line and subtle shading to suggest depth and texture. The compact format—roughly 5 by 7 inches—invites close viewing, revealing details of vendors, townspeople, roosters, and other livestock that populate the scene. This medium allowed for both precision and spontaneity, qualities highly valued in 17th-century Dutch drawings. Beyond its charm as a market view, the work offers a window into social customs and the growing importance of urban trade in the young Dutch Republic. Its acquisition by the Metropolitan Museum underscores its enduring appeal as both a historical document and a fine example of Buytewech’s observational wit.