Joachim Beuckelaer (c. 1533 – c. 1570/4) was a Flemish painter specialising in market and kitchen scenes with elaborate displays of food and household equipment.

[1] He remained active in Antwerp throughout his career and continued to develop themes pioneered in painting by Aertsen, but arguably surpassing his presumed master in skill.

[9] During the 1560s, especially during the early part of the decade, Beuckelaer painted some purely religious works, possibly because there was little demand for his kitchen and market scenes.

[11] Many of Beuckelaer's works, as those of Pieter Aertsen, show in the foreground tables full of bountiful produce which can be interpreted as temptations of earthly satisfactions.

These purses often had straps or false flaps and smaller pouches for coins on the bag's external side which could be very suggestive as is shown in the Market farmers in the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

Through an archway in the background the miraculous draught of fishes is depicted, with Christ appearing to his apostles and telling them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat.

It recounts the story of Christ visiting the sisters at their home in Bethany, and reprimanding Martha for busying herself with household matters rather than heeding his message.

The moral message of these religious scenes was to encourage viewers to leave behind the temptations of the flesh and move towards the spiritual food offered by the Christian faith.

The later paintings by Beuckelaer show a greater profusion of foodstuffs in the market scenes, together with a more prominent foregrounding of female peasants immersed within these sales items.

[1] In this composition Beuckelaer painted a kitchen with numerous ingredients for a lavish meal: vegetables, fruits, nuts, poultry and a large cut of meat.

The Flemish still life and animal painter Frans Snyders developed his Baroque many market scenes by taking inspiration of the work of Aertsen and Beuckelaer.