Who painted Fruit and Vegetable Market with a Young Fruit Seller?

Fruit and Vegetable Market with a Young Fruit Seller was painted by Jan van Kessel the Elder in 1655.

Where can I see Fruit and Vegetable Market with a Young Fruit Seller?

Fruit and Vegetable Market with a Young Fruit Seller is held by Statens Museum for Kunst.

What movement is Fruit and Vegetable Market with a Young Fruit Seller?

Fruit and Vegetable Market with a Young Fruit Seller is associated with Dutch Golden Age.

Can I buy a print of Fruit and Vegetable Market with a Young Fruit Seller?

Museum-quality prints of Fruit and Vegetable Market with a Young Fruit Seller are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Fruit and Vegetable Market with a Young Fruit Seller

Jan van Kessel the Elder , 1655

Fruit and Vegetable Market with a Young Fruit Seller is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jan van Kessel the Elder. It dates from 1655 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst. Created in 1655, this oil painting portrays a bustling market stall where a young vendor displays an array of fruit, vegetables and flowers.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1655, this oil painting portrays a bustling market stall where a young vendor displays an array of fruit, vegetables and flowers. The composition centers on the seller amid a dense grouping of produce, rendered with vivid coloration that balances earthy background tones with bright highlights from the items on display.

Subject & Meaning

The work captures a slice of everyday commercial life in the mid‑seventeenth‑century Low Countries, emphasizing the abundance and variety of fresh food available in urban markets. By focusing on a youthful seller, the artist highlights the labor and vitality of trade while also offering a visual inventory of seasonal produce.

Technique & Style

Executed in oil on canvas, the painting demonstrates meticulous attention to surface texture: the delicate veins of leaves, the glossy skins of fruit, and the woven fibers of baskets are rendered with fine brushwork. The palette combines muted earth tones with saturated reds, yellows and greens, creating depth through subtle chiaroscuro and a realistic sense of space.

History & Provenance

The piece was painted by Jan van Kessel the Elder, a Flemish artist born in Antwerp in 1626 who worked across still life, landscape and allegorical genres. Influenced by his grandfather Jan Brueghel the Elder and predecessors such as Daniel Seghers, van Kessel incorporated their detailed naturalism. Today the painting belongs to the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen.

Context

The artwork belongs to the Dutch Golden Age tradition of still‑life painting, which often celebrated material prosperity and the scientific observation of nature. Van Kessel’s market scene reflects the period’s interest in cataloguing the natural world and the growing importance of commerce in Flemish cities.

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Artist & collection

Artist

Jan van Kessel the Elder

Jan van Kessel the Elder or Jan van Kessel (I) (baptized 5 April 1626, Antwerp – 17 April 1679, Antwerp) was a Flemish painter active in Antwerp in the mid-17th century.