Adriana van Heusden and Daughter at the Fishmarket
- Artist: Emanuel de Witte
- Date: about 1662
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the "Adriana van Heusden and Daughter at the Fishmarket" by Emanuel de Witte. Painted in about 1662, it's a portrait of one of his patrons, Adriana van Heusden, and her daughter.
De Witte was known for his church interiors, but he started his career as a figure painter and later in life began painting portraits. This is one of them, and the way it uses striking perspectives is really interesting. The diagonals and upright lines created by the fishmonger's stall frame the two women with dramatic effect, giving the picture a strong sense of depth.
Notice how Adriana isn't dressed up for her portrait - she's wearing what she might have worn to the market. But even though it's an informal painting, the way the light falls on her and her daughter is very beautiful. The wet slippery fish in the foreground add to the overall sense of atmosphere, with their gills, roe, and entrails creating a sense of realism.
The use of perspective here was developed by de Witte in his architectural pictures, and it really adds depth to this scene. This painting's also interesting because there's documentary evidence that suggests it's one of the portraits he made for Adriana van Heusden - she and her husband were involved in a complicated legal dispute over four paintings, including this one, after de Witte moved out of their house.
See it in person
Adriana van Heusden and Daughter at the Fishmarket 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.
