Grocery Shopping - Josephus Laurentius Dyckmans (Lier 1811- Antwerp 1888)

Oil on panel
Signed right below '1838 L. Dyckmans'

Josephus Laurentius Dyckmans was born in Lier where he received his first artistic training from the local painter Melchior Gommar Tieleman.
His local patrons recognized his talent and after he had won all the first prizes at the local drawing school, the Lier city government awarded him an allowance that permitted him to continue his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts of Antwerp. He studied at the Antwerp Academy from 1834 to 1835 and worked in the workshop of Gustaf Wappers, one of the leading Romantic and history painters of Belgium at the time.
Dyckmans was principally a genre painter who had a preference for intimate indoor settings. He also painted a few portraits, landscapes, cityscapes and still lifes. Dyckmans preferred to depict intimate domestic scenes in a refined style that was inspired by the 17th century Dutch 'fijnschilders' ('small masters') such as Gerard Dou and Eglon van der Neer.

This painting, depicting a well-to-do woman doing her grocery shopping is an exemplary painting of his talent. Here he shows his talent for portraiture and for still lifes.
There attention to detail in the reflection of the floor tiles in the copper jug of the
But we can also find proof of his eye for detail, showing the reflection of the floor tiles in the copper jug of the merchant.