Friday, October 26, 2012

Painting of the Day: A Town Fair with a Puppet Show, 1803

Click on image to go to the fair.

"A Town Fair with a Puppet Show"
Jan Anthonie Langendijk, 1803
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II




This lively and colorful painting is the work of Jan Anthonie Langendijk (1780-1818). The canvas is dated 1803. The artist shows us a busy city scene. People are milling about, some are seated a café or pub. But, on the right, we see a crowd watching an elaborate puppet show performed by five actors on an elevated platform.

Several examples of Langendijk’s work are part of the Royal Collection. The majority of them appear to present military scenes—a subject frequently depicted by the Dutch artist. He did, however, finish several city scenes such as this one and also was known for his romantic genre paintings.




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