The Antwerp Market

In the early sixteenth century, the Flemish art world was in turmoil. On one hand, in 1517 the Reformation had begun when Martin Luther pin his 95 theses to the castle church door in Wittenburg. As a result Protestantism was spreading throughout northern Europe and the north of the Low Countries and images of all kinds were considered against God’s teaching. Indeed, in 1566, iconoclasts, at the urging of reformed priests, stormed the main Flemish churches in Antwerp, Ghent, Mechelen and others. They destroyed all the paintings and alter pieces to emphasize the views of the reformed church. But in 1555 Phillip II had come to the throne of Spain, the nation that governed the Low Countries and, in his enthusiastic Catholicism, was directly opposed to the changes taking place. Flanders was unfortunately at the center of the dispute so the artists were in a quandary. Painting the wrong picture could even result in death. In the same period, produce markets were gaining in

The Battle of the Amazons circa 1598 Peter Paul Reubens and Jan Breughel

popularity. Here the town’s people could buy their food: fish, meat and vegetables, and other needs. The church organized the markets, first on church grounds, and took revenue from every stall. However, in addition they laid down rules of commerce as it was then: profit was not condoned just as interest from a loan was considered sinful and merchants who brought goods to the market were thought of as supplying the goods needed by the population. That being a worthy act in itself additional monetary profit was not needed. It took almost a century for the populace to get over that idea. Artists, since their church market for their paintings had disappeared now sold their output through the open markets. However, because of the church’s hold on commerce they felt a need to include a religious message in their paintings. Pieter Aertsen and his nephew Joachim Beukelaer made quite a practice of it. Aertsen’s paintings included a produce market scene with a religious scene being played out in the background. In the more complicated paintings the market could even enhance the religious message just as a cockerel for sale held directly beneath the adulterous woman before Christ did. A cockerel was said to indicate that copulation was the issue. This type of painting was sold in large numbers to about 1580. After this date, 1580, the necessity for adding a religious message to paintings disappeared, but a new phenomenon arose which was unique to Antwerp … that of cooperative painting in the early 17th century. Major art studios like that of Pieter Breughel's of course employed minor painters to fill in the gaps while the main artist concentrated on the theme, figures, faces, and the more difficult sections of the canvas. Minor painters were also employed in making copies for the market. The same is done today. However, cooperative painting was different. Here two painters of equal rank such as Raphael and Breughel would paint a picture between them, each concentrating on the part that they did best. The resultant painting was highly priced sinc it was both a Raphael AND a Breughel.