Market by Candlelight By Petrus van Schendel, Oil Painting

Petrus van Schendel (1806-1870): Market by Candlelight, 1857, oil painting, 57,5 x 75 cm, Ferens Art Gallery, Kingston upon Hull, UK

"Monsieur Chandelle" (Mr Candle) was the fitting nickname given to Dutch painter Petrus van Schendel. Famed for his Chiaroscuro technique, his work was influenced by the painters of the Dutch Golden Age.
Van Schendel specialised in evening and night-time market scenes. He produced many paintings that depict stallholders and their wares illuminated by the warm glow of candles and lamps, with the wider street scene bathed in silver moonlight and the surrounding buildings deep in shadow a romantic evocation of a world before modern street lighting. He is also known for his portraits and candlelit interiors.