"Where There Are People Money May Be Made"

Van de Venne produced substantial quantities of grisailles throughout his late career. As the decades progressed, his execution grew more refined and the works larger in format, concomitantly including more figures and a profusion of anecdotal detail.41 Bij het voick is de neering (Where There Are People Money May Be Made) is one of the most ambitious examples of his later grisailles. The panel offers a sweeping view of the renowned, annual May kermis in The Hague. However, this is not a documentary image but one swarming with caricatures of ignoble social types meant to entertain a sophisticated, knowledgeable viewer.