The Nieuwe Vismarkt
by WITTE, Emanuel de, Oil on canvas, 52 x 62 cm
Emmanuel de Witte is best known for his depictions of church interiors. Yet he also painted several city views, primarily of marker scenes. In this group he depicted chiefly fish markets, which is not surprising. Fish was a traditional foodstaff in the Netherlands, popular among all layers of the population, and its supply and sale were a familiar sight for seventeenth-century Amsterdam burghers.
In this painting a young fish seller is depicted in her stall. Displayed on the wooden table before her is a variety of fish, including salmon, codfish, haddock, and plaice. The architecture in the background locates this scene in the Nieuwe Haarlemmersluis, a lock in Amsterdam.