Anonymous

The Cloth Market

 

Den Bosch from above. This painting, by an anonymous artist, depicts a bird's-eye view of the cloth market of 's-Hertogenbosch. On the left is the familiar well and the pillory, in the centre the cloth merchants' stalls and, on the north side (the seventh house from the right, the white building with the stepped gable), the house of the painter Jheronimus Bosch. Although the perspective may look a little clumsy, the surrounding buildings have been painted with the utmost precision.

The painting was commissioned by the guild of cloth sellers and cloth workers. In the foreground is Saint Francis, the patron saint of the guild, who is handing out fabrics to the poor. The work is part of a multiple panel. The guild's crest is depicted on the back of the painting.

Practical information

Title De Lakenmarkt van 's-Hertogenbosch (The cloth market of 's-Hertogenbosch)
Artist Anonymous
Date Circa 1530
Material Oil on wooden panel
Size 126 x 67 cm

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