Fish Market on the Shore c. 1698 - 1765

Curator: Here we have Theobald Michau’s “Fish Market on the Shore,” a genre painting, believed to have been created sometime between 1698 and 1765, rendered in oil paint. It's currently part of the Städel Museum collection. What catches your eye first? Editor: Immediately, I’m struck by the everyday quality of the scene, like a snapshot of ordinary life made grand by the Baroque sensibility. There’s such bustling energy—so many people engaged in various tasks under the open sky, giving an atmosphere that speaks to community. Curator: Absolutely, Michau seems interested in the dynamics of labor and trade within the fishing community. Consider the broader social implications: The fishermen bring in their catch; merchants assess the goods, families purchase for consumption, it is all part of how art serves a record-keeping function about commerce. It shows us a system. Editor: It does. And thinking about imagery, fish themselves have been potent symbols for centuries—prosperity, abundance, but also more deeply, faith and spiritual nourishment. Michau positions this ancient symbol within the very real world of the marketplace. The visual emphasis isn't on some king or saint, but rather the common individual, reflecting societal shifts in subject matter, making them in and of themselves, quite symbolic. Curator: It's intriguing how Michau orchestrates the composition. Note the hierarchical arrangement: figures in the background provide a backdrop of labor to showcase prominent figures and symbols towards the fore. A conscious effort to position the fishmongers, fishermen, buyers for viewers as active economic participation in the marketplace Editor: Notice too how figures both rich and poor all crowd in and around piles of fish together. Rich and poor are interacting with similar spaces in a symbolic social leveler, reinforcing the idea that no matter your place in society you'll eat the fish together! The image as an invitation, visually unifying those social strata within shared daily experience. Curator: I concur! Michau, with the symbols within reach to anyone in society that the economics behind these purchases are at the fingertips for a wider range than most. I appreciate the dual lens. Editor: I find myself returning to the central question: What kind of daily scene best captures society? Food and communal purchase remains one of the key constants, here showcased for Michau's viewers, making the work as poignant today as it would have been at the time.