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Source Description
In this market scene, the Dutch artist Willem van Mieris portrayed a man and woman in a poultry shop who negotiate over the price of a bird. A curtain is pulled aside above to reveal the scene—as if the viewer sees something in secret—while a faux relief panel below them portrays amorous putti. Market scenes portraying a man and a woman often carried amorous or lascivious connotations in 17th-century Holland, undertones that were acknowledged and enjoyed by the middle-class patrons who purchased such works.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
329339
label
The Bird Seller
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
329339
contentType
drawing
title
The Bird Seller
description
In this market scene, the Dutch artist Willem van Mieris portrayed a man and woman in a poultry shop who negotiate over the price of a bird. A curtain is pulled aside above to reveal the scene—as if the viewer sees something in secret—while a faux relief panel below them portrays amorous putti. Market scenes portraying a man and a woman often carried amorous or lascivious connotations in 17th-century Holland, undertones that were acknowledged and enjoyed by the middle-class patrons who purchased such works.
date
c. 1700–1710
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79876021
creators
329336
genreSpecific
Drawing
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Sheet: 36.4 x 28.9 cm (14 5/16 x 11 3/8 in.); Matted: 41 x 31.8 x 0.3 cm (16 1/8 x 12 1/2 x 1/8 in.); Image: 26 x 22.3 cm (10 1/4 x 8 3/4 in.)
cul
Netherlands
accession
2019.1
Source extras
tec
black and white chalk on blue paper, laid down on brown paper
tombstone
The Bird Seller, c. 1700–1710. Willem van Mieris (Dutch, 1662–1747). Black and white chalk on blue paper, laid down on brown paper; sheet: 36.4 x 28.9 cm (14 5/16 x 11 3/8 in.); matted: 41 x 31.8 x 0.3 cm (16 1/8 x 12 1/2 x 1/8 in.); image: 26 x 22.3 cm (10 1/4 x 8 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 2019.10
collection
DR - Dutch
didYouKnow
In 17th-century Holland, market scenes portraying a man and a woman often had amorous undertones.
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:56:32.594000
sourceId
329339
dept
Drawings
coll
DR - Dutch
med
black and white chalk on blue paper, laid down on brown paper
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
d41869a890463416