Straatventer met flesjes reukwater

About this artwork

Gift of G.J. Boekenoogen, Leiden

Art Historical Context

This charming etching by Pieter van den Berge captures a lively moment from early eighteenth-century Dutch street life. Created in 1713, the small print (just 168 by 128 mm) shows a street vendor offering small bottles of scented water, a common sight in bustling cities like Amsterdam or Leiden. Van den Berge, a skilled Dutch etcher known for his genre scenes, used the medium’s fine lines to render the figure’s clothing, the delicate glass bottles, and the everyday bustle with remarkable clarity and economy. Etchings like this one played an important cultural role in the Netherlands, making affordable images of ordinary people and trades widely available. They preserved a visual record of urban commerce and social types at a time when the Dutch Republic remained a vibrant trading hub. The work’s intimate scale invites close looking, rewarding viewers with subtle details of texture and expression that highlight the artist’s technical finesse. Donated to the collection by G.J. Boekenoogen of Leiden, the print now offers modern audiences a glimpse into the sounds, smells, and commerce of a bygone era.

About the Artist

Pieter van den Berge · 1669–1769

Pieter van den Berge (1659–1737) was a Dutch draughtsman, printmaker, and publisher whose long career spanned the late Dutch Golden Age into the early 18th century. Born in 1659, likely in Amsterdam, van den Berge worked as an engraver, visual artist, editorial curator, and draughtsman during a period when Dutch printmaking was transitioning from the heights of the Golden Age into new commercial a...