A Poulterer's Shop
- Artist: Gerrit Dou
- Date: about 1670
- Medium: oil on wood
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the "A Poulterer's Shop" by Gerrit Dou. Painted in the Dutch tradition of the 17th century, this painting showcases the artist's remarkable skill at depicting different surfaces and textures.
Notice how the fraying cloth crumpled underneath the bucket appears almost three-dimensional. The smooth stone of the sill, the feathers in the duck's wing, and the pocked skin of its breast and neck are all rendered with incredible detail and realism.
The painting is set in a grand architectural frame, which was an unusual device for a Leiden poultry seller. However, it allowed Dou to give his scenes a greater illusion of depth. The dramatic shaft of light highlights the objects and figures in the foreground, while the shop and figures inside recede into the background.
This composition is quite formulaic, with recognizable elements like the sculpted panel showing children playing with a goat. Some art historians have suggested that there may be a moral message hidden beneath the surface, but it's more likely that Dou was using these elements for comedic effect rather than to convey a serious lesson.
See it in person
A Poulterer's Shop hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
