Hoendermarkt 1630 - 1634

Jan Martszen de Jonge made this drawing, "Hoendermarkt," using pen in gray ink and gray wash, sometime in the first half of the 17th century. It depicts a bustling chicken market, likely in the Netherlands, filled with figures in period dress engaged in commerce and social exchange. The architecture suggests a prosperous, stable society, reflecting the economic boom known as the Dutch Golden Age. The clothing of the figures, especially the women, suggests a society defined by rigid social classes and conventions. What could it mean to represent a marketplace, a site of transactions and social mixing, at a time when the Dutch Republic was consolidating its power through global trade? Was this artist intentionally referencing Dutch mercantilism and civic life, and if so, how? To better understand this image, we might examine archival records of Dutch markets, studies of period fashion, and historical research into the art market in the Netherlands. The meaning of art is always reliant on social and institutional context.