Fish Market by Joachim Beuckelaer 1568

This scene of everyday life may appear commonplace, but so much more is going on. Beuckelaer's painting is among the earliest examples of an evolving category of Northern Renaissance painting. The fish are faithfully rendered and recognizable as salmon, carp, cod, herring, and pike.  Such portrayals of everyday life, or genre scenes, rejected customary religious themes in favor of purely secular content–in this case, celebrating the growing importance of the fish industry in Flanders.  The fishmonger looks longingly at the woman across the table from him, while she signals back her unavailability is a step away from the religious and a plunge into everyday life.