A Fair in Ghent in the Middle Ages

A former student of the Ghent Academy of Fine Arts and of Joseph Paelinck in Brussels, Felix de Vigne belonged to a successful generation of history painters. In contrast to the French pompiers, purely mythological subjects did not interest him. Together with Theodore Canneel, who also taught at the Ghent Academy, De Vigne was the most important representative of historicism in Ghent. Like Canneel, he drew his inspiration from the art of the Middle Ages, primarily depicting everyday life. His thorough historical research led in 1835 to the publication of his own richly illustrated study Receuil des costumes du Moyen-âge pour servir à l'histoire de la Belgique et des pays circonvoisins. A Fair in Ghent in the Middle Ages presents the international annual market on the Ghent Friday market. In the market stalls, merchants (including Arabian merchants) sell their precious goods (jewellery, brocade, jugs and even armour). In front, rich citizens or noblemen inspect fabrics. Above the market stalls, Ghent's monuments stand out: they are free interpretations of St. Jakob's Church and the guildhall Het Toreken. The MSK owns the preparatory oil study of the painting (inv. 1904-DD). There are few differences between the study and the finished work, which points to the artist's methodical working method.