Merchants' Stalls and Shops in the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance

	Merchants’ Stalls & Shops
RELATED PAGES Merchants’ Booths Das Ständebuch Apothecary's Shops Peddlers Weighing Tools Baskets Tables Taverns	HOME • BLOG • SITEMAP • BOOKSTORE
Following are depictions of merchants' stalls and shops from the later Middle Ages and Renaissance. While most sites for re-enactment events lack these sorts of permanent structures (although some have found ways to create portable structures emulating these sorts of buildings), these links illustrate how different sorts of wares were displayed. The St. Nicholas Window at Chartres Cathedral, c. 1205-1215 A shop where boots and shoes are sold in a detail from the Frescoes of the Good and Bad Government by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, c. 1338-1340 People selling dried figs, raisins, candles, musk, and rice, Tacuinum Sanitatis (ÖNB Codex Vindobonensis series nova 2644), c. 1370-1400 Tacuinum Sanitatis (BNF Nouvelle acquisition latine 1673), c. 1390-1400, includes sellers of wool clothing (fol. 94), linen clothing (fol. 94v), and silk clothing (fol. 95), as well as several merchants of foodstuffs; use Mandragore to view the manuscript Merchants, De proprietatibus rerum (BNF Fr. 22531, fol. 257v), first quarter of the 15th century Tacuinum Sanitatis (BNF Latin 9333), 15th century, includes sellers of wool clothing (fol. 103), linen clothing (fol. 103v), and silk clothing (fol. 104), as well as several merchants of foodstuffs; use Mandragore to view the manuscript A shopkeeper sells the handicrafts made by the queen, Schondoch's Story of the Queen of France (ÖNB 2675, fol. 6v), c. 1424-1435 The story of Biondello and Ciacco in the Decameron (BNF Arsenal 5070, fol. 341r), 1432 Detail from St. Luke Drawing a Portrait of the Madonna by Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1435 A figurine-seller in a detail from an altarpiece, 1445 St. Eligius in his Workshop by Petrus Christus, 1449 There were stallis by þe strete stondyng for peopull, Werkmen into won, and þaire wares shewe, Of all þe craftes to ken as þere course askit: Goldsmythes, Glouers, Girdillers noble; Sadlers, souters, Semsteris fyn; Tailours, Telers, Turners of vesselles; Wrightes, websters, walkers of cloth; Armurers, Arowsmythis with Axes of werre: Belmakers, bokebynders, brasiers fyn; Marchandes, Monymakers, Mongers of fyche; Parnters, painters, pynners also; Bochers, bladsmythis, baxters amonge; fferers, flecchours, fele men of Crafte; Tauerners, tapsters, all the toune ouer; Sporiors, Spicers, Spynners of clothe; Cokes, condlers, couriers of ledur; Carpentours, cotelers, coucheours fyn; With barburs biget in bourders of the stretes; With all maister men þat on molde dwellis, Onestly enabit in entris Aboute. The Gest Hystoriale of the Destruction of Troy , ll. 1580-1600 Aristotle's Ethics, Politics, and Economics (Rouen I.2 927), 15th century; the three types of friendship (fol. 127v) and currency as a a measure of commercial trade (fol. 145r) Detail in the Return from Egypt at Heiligenkreuz, Austria, c. 1465-1475 Transferring the body of St. James the Greater by Friedrich Herlin, 1466 The draper sells cloth, Schachzabelbuch des Konrad von Ammenhausen (Wrttembergische Landesbibliothek, Cod. poet. 2, fol. 244), 1467 A shop in the background behind the execution of Guillaume Sans (possibly selling copper-alloy basins or platters?), Froissart's Chronicles (BNF Fr. 2644, fol. 1r), c. 1470-1475 Libro de componere herbe et fructi (BNF Italien 1108), c. 1471, includes several merchants of foodstuffs; use Mandragore to view the manuscript A stall where purses and girdles (and related accoutrements) are sold in The Birth of Mary from an altarpiece at Kirchdorf an der Krems, c. 1475-1485 A goldsmith's shop in the Book of simple medicines (BNF Fr. 9136, fol. 344), fourth quarter of the 15th century Allegory of June: The Triumph of Mercury, fresco at the Palazzo Schifanoia by Cosme Tura, c. 1476-1484 A mercer's shop, Faits et choses du monde (BNF Arsenal 5081, fol. 33v), c. 1480; the display includes jewelry, belts, mirrors, combs, pins, needles, and toys Cy speaks about the state of merchants and commerce (cloth merchants showing honesty in weights and measurements), Le Livre de bonnes moeurs de Jacques Legrand (Musée Condée 297, fol. 122v), c. 1490 Marketplace frescoes at Issogne, late 15th-early 16th century (detail) Detail from The Annunciation in the altarpiece of the Church of St. Gumbertus in Ansbach, c. 1490-1510 Merchants sell goods from stalls adjoining a church, The Breviary of Eleanor of Portugal (PML M.52, fol. 578v), c. 1500-1510 The market street in the Book of the Government of Princes (BNF Arsenal 5062, fol. 149v), beginning of the 16th century; further analysis of the illustration here A Persian horseman at the bazaar (fol. 33) and the bazaar at Kûfa (fol. 41), Mahzan al-Asrâr (BNF supp. turc 978, fol. 41), first half of the 16th century The November section of Die Augsburger Monatsbilder, 1520s; see especially this detail Illustrations from Das Ständebuch, 1568

Merchants’ Stalls & Shops

Power and Profit: The Merchant in Medieval Europe

Following are depictions of merchants' stalls and shops from the later Middle Ages and Renaissance.

While most sites for re-enactment events lack these sorts of permanent structures (although some have found ways to create portable structures emulating these sorts of buildings), these links illustrate how different sorts of wares were displayed.

The St. Nicholas Window at Chartres Cathedral, c. 1205-1215
A shop where boots and shoes are sold in a detail from the Frescoes of the Good and Bad Government by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, c. 1338-1340
People selling dried figs, raisins, candles, musk, and rice, Tacuinum Sanitatis (ÖNB Codex Vindobonensis series nova 2644), c. 1370-1400
Tacuinum Sanitatis (BNF Nouvelle acquisition latine 1673), c. 1390-1400, includes sellers of wool clothing (fol. 94), linen clothing (fol. 94v), and silk clothing (fol. 95), as well as several merchants of foodstuffs; use Mandragore to view the manuscript
Merchants, De proprietatibus rerum (BNF Fr. 22531, fol. 257v), first quarter of the 15th century
Tacuinum Sanitatis (BNF Latin 9333), 15th century, includes sellers of wool clothing (fol. 103), linen clothing (fol. 103v), and silk clothing (fol. 104), as well as several merchants of foodstuffs; use Mandragore to view the manuscript
A shopkeeper sells the handicrafts made by the queen, Schondoch's Story of the Queen of France (ÖNB 2675, fol. 6v), c. 1424-1435
The story of Biondello and Ciacco in the Decameron (BNF Arsenal 5070, fol. 341r), 1432
Detail from St. Luke Drawing a Portrait of the Madonna by Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1435
A figurine-seller in a detail from an altarpiece, 1445
St. Eligius in his Workshop by Petrus Christus, 1449

There were stallis by þe strete stondyng for peopull,
Werkmen into won, and þaire wares shewe,
Of all þe craftes to ken as þere course askit:
Goldsmythes, Glouers, Girdillers noble;
Sadlers, souters, Semsteris fyn;
Tailours, Telers, Turners of vesselles;
Wrightes, websters, walkers of cloth;
Armurers, Arowsmythis with Axes of werre:
Belmakers, bokebynders, brasiers fyn;
Marchandes, Monymakers, Mongers of fyche;
Parnters, painters, pynners also;
Bochers, bladsmythis, baxters amonge;
fferers, flecchours, fele men of Crafte;
Tauerners, tapsters, all the toune ouer;
Sporiors, Spicers, Spynners of clothe;
Cokes, condlers, couriers of ledur;
Carpentours, cotelers, coucheours fyn;
With barburs biget in bourders of the stretes;
With all maister men þat on molde dwellis,
Onestly enabit in entris Aboute.

The Gest Hystoriale of the Destruction of Troy ,
ll. 1580-1600

Aristotle's Ethics, Politics, and Economics (Rouen I.2 927), 15th century; the three types of friendship (fol. 127v) and currency as a a measure of commercial trade (fol. 145r)
Detail in the Return from Egypt at Heiligenkreuz, Austria, c. 1465-1475
Transferring the body of St. James the Greater by Friedrich Herlin, 1466
The draper sells cloth, Schachzabelbuch des Konrad von Ammenhausen (Wrttembergische Landesbibliothek, Cod. poet. 2, fol. 244), 1467
A shop in the background behind the execution of Guillaume Sans (possibly selling copper-alloy basins or platters?), Froissart's Chronicles (BNF Fr. 2644, fol. 1r), c. 1470-1475
Libro de componere herbe et fructi (BNF Italien 1108), c. 1471, includes several merchants of foodstuffs; use Mandragore to view the manuscript
A stall where purses and girdles (and related accoutrements) are sold in The Birth of Mary from an altarpiece at Kirchdorf an der Krems, c. 1475-1485
A goldsmith's shop in the Book of simple medicines (BNF Fr. 9136, fol. 344), fourth quarter of the 15th century
Allegory of June: The Triumph of Mercury, fresco at the Palazzo Schifanoia by Cosme Tura, c. 1476-1484
A mercer's shop, Faits et choses du monde (BNF Arsenal 5081, fol. 33v), c. 1480; the display includes jewelry, belts, mirrors, combs, pins, needles, and toys
Cy speaks about the state of merchants and commerce (cloth merchants showing honesty in weights and measurements), Le Livre de bonnes moeurs de Jacques Legrand (Musée Condée 297, fol. 122v), c. 1490
Marketplace frescoes at Issogne, late 15th-early 16th century (detail)
Detail from The Annunciation in the altarpiece of the Church of St. Gumbertus in Ansbach, c. 1490-1510
Merchants sell goods from stalls adjoining a church, The Breviary of Eleanor of Portugal (PML M.52, fol. 578v), c. 1500-1510
The market street in the Book of the Government of Princes (BNF Arsenal 5062, fol. 149v), beginning of the 16th century; further analysis of the illustration here
A Persian horseman at the bazaar (fol. 33) and the bazaar at Kûfa (fol. 41), Mahzan al-Asrâr (BNF supp. turc 978, fol. 41), first half of the 16th century
The November section of Die Augsburger Monatsbilder, 1520s; see especially this detail
Illustrations from Das Ständebuch, 1568