Selling fresh cheese!, plate 47 - Simon Guillain

A detailed 1646 etching by Simon Guillain depicting a cheese seller in Bologna, capturing the daily life and attire of a seventeenth-century street vendor.

This etching by Simon Guillain, dated 1646, belongs to a series documenting the street vendors and tradespeople of seventeenth-century Bologna. The work captures a cheese seller in motion, carrying his wares on a wooden board balanced across his shoulders. The figure is rendered with precise, rhythmic lines that define the texture of his clothing and the weight of the cheese.

Guillain, a French sculptor and printmaker who spent significant time in Italy, demonstrates a keen eye for the social fabric of the city. The background features a simplified architectural setting, likely inspired by the porticoes and towers characteristic of the Bolognese urban environment. By focusing on the daily labour of a common worker, the artist provides a glimpse into the economic life of the period. The composition is balanced, with the figure occupying the foreground while the architectural elements provide a sense of place without distracting from the subject.

The technique employed here reflects the conventions of mid-seventeenth-century printmaking, where cross-hatching and varied line weights create volume and shadow. The seller is depicted with a naturalistic posture, his gaze directed towards the viewer, which adds a sense of immediacy to the scene. This print is part of a larger collection of works that served as a visual record of the diverse occupations found in the streets of Bologna, documenting the attire and tools of the era. The clarity of the etching process allows for the fine details of the cheese board and the seller's apron to remain distinct, offering a clear view of the historical subject matter. This piece is a representative example of the genre studies produced by artists who sought to document the reality of urban life during the Baroque period.