Flemish Kermis

Besides landscapes, Bol also painted Biblical and mythological scenes and genre pieces in a Renaissance tradition. His work was influenced by that of Pieter Brueghel the Elder and displays an affinity with Jacob Grimmer and Joachim Patinir. The kermis (fair) was a Flemish feast that celebrated the patron saint of the parish, and everyone took part. The majority of the throng pictured here are hard-working peasants. They are amusing themselves, dancing and singing. Distancing themselves from the people, the rich burgesses and the nobility parade in their expensive attire. Although there were, during those times, as many holidays and days off as today (there was no working on Sundays and there were thirty or forty saint’s days on which no labour took place, either), free time was largely taken up by religious duties.