(Terheide 1806–1870 Brussels)
Night market in Rotterdam, signed P. van Schendel. fct, oil on panel, 66 x 51 cm, framed, (GG)

Provenance:
Sotheby’s, London, 15 October 1975, lot 184;
Christie’s, London, 17 June 1994, lot 35;
Sotheby’s, New York, 9 February 1999, lot 9;
European Private collection

Exhibited:
Breda, Breda’s Museum and Luxembourg, Villa Vauban, Petrus van Schendel: Master of the Evening light/ Die Farben der Nacht. Der Maler Petrus van Schendel. 2012–2013.

Catalogued and illustrated in:
Jan de Meere, Petrus van Schendel: een leven tussen licht en donker, 2012, p. 31, ill. 45.

We are grateful to Dr. Jan de Meere who confirmed the authenticity on the basis of the original.

Petrus van Schendel lived with his family in Rotterdam at No. 37 Hoogstraat, which runs to the old centre of the city. In this street there were many prominent buildings, such as the Town Hall, which served as a background for many paintings by Van Schendel. There were also several different markets on Hoogstraat, such as the linen market and the cheese market, all of which served as inspiration for van Schendel, as well as three churches: the Protestant church on the east side, the Walloon church on the west side and St Dominic’s Catholic Church on opposite side, which represented the three main religious groups of the Netherlands during this period.
The women are positioned on a bridge in the foreground. From the design of the railings, it appears to be the Roobrug bridge in De Nieuwe Haven. The main source of light is the candle held by the seated woman, which illuminates the figure to her right and the basket of eggs and poultry in the foreground. Another source of light of cooler tones is the intense silvery moonlight above the tower.
The present lot can be considered one of Van Schendel’s best works from Rotterdam.