Petrus van Schendel artwork • painting • previously for sale The fismarket at night

Belgian-Dutch painter Petrus van Schendel achieved great renown with his moonlit landscapes and night market scenes, which featured candles and open fires as the only light sources. The genre was a response to romantic collectors’ fascination for darkness and the mysterious forces of nature. People were so amazed by his candlelit scenes that they earned him the nickname of ‘Monsieur Chandelle’ in France. Van Schendel also painted biblical scenes, as well as several portraits.