Alon Zakaim Fine Art

Petrus van Schendel was born in Terheyden, North Brabant in 1806. Between 1822 and 1828 he studied at the Antwerp Academy as a student of Van Bree. He first settled in Amsterdam and then moved to Rotterdam, where he forged himself a reputation as a portrait painter. He moved later to The Hague and in 1845 to Brussels where he remained until 1870.

It was in Brussels that he became famous for his night market scenes which he painted by candle, lamps or torch light to create dramatic effects with shadow. His works were renowned and he was nicknamed Monsieur Chandelle by the French.

In 1845 he won a gold medal for Market scene by moonlight which was exhibited in Brussels and he won a medal in Amsterdam the same year. In addition he won medals in Paris in 1844 and 1847. Today his works form part of many museum collections including the Amsterdams Historisch Museum, the Stedelijk Museum, the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the Groninger Museum, Groningen and the Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam.