Spread from the foreground to the back of the painting, the market displays all sorts of economic activity. Women in yellow hats barter for chickens. Not far off, someone is peddling bread.
Horses pull carts loaded with crops and other goods into the picture.
Peoples' statuses were beginning to be determined by where they were in the economic system, and not just because of their birth. For the first time in Europe on such a large scale, economic growth led to city growth, productivity increases and overall a higher standard of living. During the early l300s, plague and war disrupted Europe's stability. A fourth of the population was wiped out by the Black Death, taking along with it the economic momentum gained by increased commerce and trade in the years earlier. However, there are few signs of the time period in the picture, which was painted in the 16 th century, only 100 years later.