Aertsen, Pieter

(1508-1575)

    Netherlandish painter who specialized in genre scenes. Aertsen was a pupil of Allart Claesz and became a member of the Antwerp guild in 1535. In 1563, he left Antwerp and is listed in documents as a citizen of Amsterdam, where he remained until his death in 1575. His best-known work is the Butcher Shop (1551; Uppsala, University Collection), which shows the flight into Egypt in the distant landscape seen behind the meats displayed in the foreground. The still life, in Renaissance art usually an incidental element, is here given the greatest prominence, while the religious scene is relegated to a secondary placement. Two fish on a platter in the foreground that form a cross, however, have been read as references to Christ's future sacrifice and thus tie the still life to the background scene. The animal carcass suspended in the distance as if hanging from a cross and overseen by two male and two female figures has also been viewed as reference to the Crucifixion.