Chestnuts for sale!, plate 57 - Simon Guillain

A seventeenth-century etching by Simon Guillain depicting a street vendor carrying a large sack, part of a series documenting Parisian trades.

This etching by Simon Guillain, titled Chestnuts for sale!, originates from a series documenting the street vendors of seventeenth-century Paris. Published in 1646, the work captures a solitary figure carrying a large sack over his shoulder, likely containing the wares he intends to sell. The artist employs a precise, linear technique to define the form of the vendor, using cross-hatching to suggest the weight of the sack and the texture of his simple clothing. The background remains largely empty, focusing the viewer entirely on the subject and his posture.

Guillain, primarily known as a sculptor, produced these etchings after the drawings of Annibale Carracci. The series provides a social record of the period, documenting the various trades and characters that populated the urban environment of the time. The vendor is depicted in profile, his gaze directed forward, suggesting a moment captured during his daily rounds. The simplicity of the composition reflects the directness of the observation, avoiding unnecessary ornamentation to maintain a focus on the human element of the street trade.

The print demonstrates the technical skill required for etching during the Baroque period, where the artist relies on the clarity of the line to convey volume and movement. The figure is rendered with a sense of realism, capturing the physical exertion of the labourer. This piece offers a glimpse into the social history of Paris, presenting the everyday life of the working class with a clarity that remains accessible to the modern viewer. The work is a fine example of the genre studies that were popular among collectors and artists of the seventeenth century, documenting the diversity of urban life through a series of individual portraits.