Petrus van Schendel (1806-70) was born near Breda, and studied at the Academy at Antwerp under Mathieu-Ignace van Breen. He then worked in Amsterdam before moving to Rotterdam in 1832, where he stayed until 1838. He was a prolific painter, exhibiting regularly in Amsterdam, Antwerp and the Hague between 1827 and 1867. In 1834 he became a member of the Royal Academy in Amsterdam. His other evocative nocturnal scenes include Mother and child at the night market sold at Christies, Amsterdam, 6th May 2009.

Like so many 19th-century Belgian paintings, this is a tribute to Dutch artists of the 17th century, in particular Gerrit Dou and Godfried Schalcken for the fine detail and effect of candlelight. The subject of a market stall was also popular in the 17th century, though usually visited in daylight. It would seem that the three figures here, conversing by candlelight, are stall-holders: a man with his wicker basket of dead game and another with chickens, a young woman with a basket of apples balanced on her knees and another carrying two baskets on her head. Tall buildings in the background are illuminated by the moon, which is partly shrouded by clouds.