Pieter II BRUEGHEL (1564-1638)
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Flemish art Music in old painting
Chronology : 1600-1609
See also : Flemish art Music in old painting
Chronology : 1600-1609
Intro
Working in Antwerp and afterwards in Brussels, Pieter Bruegel lived in troubled times. His specialty of painting proverbs and morals might at any time offend the Catholic Spain which was then the colonial power, or the Dutch Protestants beginning to engage in their very long war of independence.
Pieter Bruegel chose the theme of peasant life. We love his celebrations, his many characters in very diverse attitudes who are busy in a medieval atmosphere. He has recorded for us the life of another time. Their occupations are indeed symbols more or less easy to decode of the struggle between vices and virtues.
The difficulty in deciphering his message, which is explained by the political context, allows the modern viewer to focus his admiration on the anecdote. His themes, allegories, proverbs, parables, however, are well positioning this artist at the time when the religious crisis shook Europe, when Cranach and Titian, in their own way, were looking for the meaning of good and evil.
Pieter Bruegel died untimely in 1569. He had been the best picture maker of popular scenes of all time.
His art, however, had a sequel. His mother-in-law Mayken Verhulst transmitted his images to Pieter II and Jan, four and one years old at the father's death. To our delight, Pieter Brueghel (recovering the h from the original spelling of his father's name) made faithful copies of his father's works, probably executed as and when ordered from customers.
Fortunately, Pieter II and Jan were also excellent painters who, each in his own way, have significantly inflated the Brueghel catalog.
Pieter Bruegel chose the theme of peasant life. We love his celebrations, his many characters in very diverse attitudes who are busy in a medieval atmosphere. He has recorded for us the life of another time. Their occupations are indeed symbols more or less easy to decode of the struggle between vices and virtues.
The difficulty in deciphering his message, which is explained by the political context, allows the modern viewer to focus his admiration on the anecdote. His themes, allegories, proverbs, parables, however, are well positioning this artist at the time when the religious crisis shook Europe, when Cranach and Titian, in their own way, were looking for the meaning of good and evil.
Pieter Bruegel died untimely in 1569. He had been the best picture maker of popular scenes of all time.
His art, however, had a sequel. His mother-in-law Mayken Verhulst transmitted his images to Pieter II and Jan, four and one years old at the father's death. To our delight, Pieter Brueghel (recovering the h from the original spelling of his father's name) made faithful copies of his father's works, probably executed as and when ordered from customers.
Fortunately, Pieter II and Jan were also excellent painters who, each in his own way, have significantly inflated the Brueghel catalog.
1600 Summer
2014 SOLD for $ 5.2M by Sotheby's
The large picture of Summer - Harvesters, 119 x 162 cm, painted by Pieter Bruegel in 1565, comes by this way into the suite of modellos used by Pieter Brueghel II (recovering the h from the original spelling of his father's name).
Pieter II copies the characters from the scene made by his father, with a translucid method of transfer. His peasants are placed in a similar landscape, but any moralizing intention has disappeared. He erased the idle fellow and the players to retain one peasant at work with his scythe and the quiet group who takes his snack. The tree no longer separates good and evil.
On January 30, 2014, Sotheby's sold for $ 5.2M from a lower estimate of $ 2.5M one of these scenes of harvest painted by Pieter II, lot 22. This oil on panel 60 x 80 cm is dated 1600, which is quite early in the career of the artist. Tirelessly repeating the same themes, Pieter II has not often dated his paintings in his later career.
Pieter II copies the characters from the scene made by his father, with a translucid method of transfer. His peasants are placed in a similar landscape, but any moralizing intention has disappeared. He erased the idle fellow and the players to retain one peasant at work with his scythe and the quiet group who takes his snack. The tree no longer separates good and evil.
On January 30, 2014, Sotheby's sold for $ 5.2M from a lower estimate of $ 2.5M one of these scenes of harvest painted by Pieter II, lot 22. This oil on panel 60 x 80 cm is dated 1600, which is quite early in the career of the artist. Tirelessly repeating the same themes, Pieter II has not often dated his paintings in his later career.
Combat between Carnival and Lent
Intro
The Battle between Carnival and Lent, painted by Bruegel in 1559, is one of the most complex compositions of Bruegel. On the pretext of a festival on the village square, it shows people, their occupations, their games, and two processions facing each other in such a way that they irreversibly inhibit any possible progress.
Carnival is perched on a barrel and encouraged by his followers who leave the tavern. Lent is an unpleasant nun whose friends leave the church. On the Flemish village square, away from the main story, a crowd of people is busy with everyday occupations.
It is preserved in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna
Pieter the younger made five known replicas of the Combat Between Carnival and Lent.
Carnival is perched on a barrel and encouraged by his followers who leave the tavern. Lent is an unpleasant nun whose friends leave the church. On the Flemish village square, away from the main story, a crowd of people is busy with everyday occupations.
It is preserved in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna
Pieter the younger made five known replicas of the Combat Between Carnival and Lent.
1
2011 SOLD for £ 6.9M by Christie's
The only oil on canvas of the group, 119 x 171 cm, was sold by Christie's for £ 3.25M on December 7, 2006 and for £ 6.9M on December 6, 2011, lot 17.
2
2012 SOLD for £ 4.5M by Sotheby's
In similar dimensions as the canvas, the best preserved of the four panels was sold for £ 4.5M by Sotheby's on July 4, 2012, lot 11.
An oil on panel of almost the same size, 118 x 166 cm but in lesser condition, was sold for £ 2M by Christie's on December 7, 2010. It has been established by dendrochronology that two of its planks came from a Baltic oak also used for another work by this artist dated 1603.
An oil on panel of almost the same size, 118 x 166 cm but in lesser condition, was sold for £ 2M by Christie's on December 7, 2010. It has been established by dendrochronology that two of its planks came from a Baltic oak also used for another work by this artist dated 1603.
1605-1610 Massacre of the Innocents
2009 SOLD for £ 4.6M by Sotheby's
Painted ca 1565 by Pieter Bruegel, the Massacre of the Innocents is a response to the outbreak of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish rule. The artist staged the event in a Dutch village under a heavy snow that provides a high contrast with the ongoing drama.
Conceived in smaller size in parallel with the Massacre, the Bird Trap allegory is its moralizing counterpart in the same village and same snow, with peaceful ice skaters replacing the Spanish soldiers and German mercenaries. The Bird Trap title cannot be understood without referring to the Massacre : Take care, a quiet scenery may hide a trap to the innocents.
Ertz recognized 11 autograph Massacres and 45 Traps by Bruegel's son Pieter Brueghel the younger. A Massacre dated 1593 is one of his earliest works.
A Massacre of the Innocents, oil on oak 122 x 170 cm by Pieter the younger, was sold for £ 4.6M from a lower estimate of £ 2.5M by Sotheby's on July 8, 2009, lot 13. It is dated around 1605-1610 in compliance with its dendrochronology. It is very close to the original composition by his father.
Conceived in smaller size in parallel with the Massacre, the Bird Trap allegory is its moralizing counterpart in the same village and same snow, with peaceful ice skaters replacing the Spanish soldiers and German mercenaries. The Bird Trap title cannot be understood without referring to the Massacre : Take care, a quiet scenery may hide a trap to the innocents.
Ertz recognized 11 autograph Massacres and 45 Traps by Bruegel's son Pieter Brueghel the younger. A Massacre dated 1593 is one of his earliest works.
A Massacre of the Innocents, oil on oak 122 x 170 cm by Pieter the younger, was sold for £ 4.6M from a lower estimate of £ 2.5M by Sotheby's on July 8, 2009, lot 13. It is dated around 1605-1610 in compliance with its dendrochronology. It is very close to the original composition by his father.
1607 The Proverbs
2018 SOLD for £ 6.3M by Christie's
Inspired by an engraving made shortly before by Hogenberg, Bruegel's Proverbs are a juxtaposition of nearly one hundred secular sayings played in the village. God and the Devil appear only three times in all, only in ridiculous situations, while priests and saints are absent. Among the most amusing scenes are the peasant who shears a pig, the bell attached to the cat and the cuckold clothed in a gaudy cloak by his unfaithful wife.
From the literary point of view, Erasmus and Rabelais had explored this theme : everyone mocks his neighbors while ignoring his own faults, constituting the syndrome of the ordinary madness. A moralizing interpretation is inevitable, especially in those times of religious tension.
The Proverbs, oil on canvas 121 x 167 cm painted around 1607 by Pieter the younger, was sold for £ 6.3M from a lower estimate of £ 3.5M by Christie's on December 6, 2018, lot 7.
From the literary point of view, Erasmus and Rabelais had explored this theme : everyone mocks his neighbors while ignoring his own faults, constituting the syndrome of the ordinary madness. A moralizing interpretation is inevitable, especially in those times of religious tension.
The Proverbs, oil on canvas 121 x 167 cm painted around 1607 by Pieter the younger, was sold for £ 6.3M from a lower estimate of £ 3.5M by Christie's on December 6, 2018, lot 7.
#AuctionUpdate 'The Netherlandish Proverbs', an epic visualisation of over one hundred proverbs, painted by #PieterBruegheltheYounger, has sold for £6,308,750. #Christies #OldMasters pic.twitter.com/muT3QLQ6ZS
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) December 6, 2018
1607 The Road to Calvary
2014 SOLD for £ 5.5M by Christie's
Biblical scenes are prominent in the art of Pieter Bruegel. They are fitting his moralizing intent and the expectations of his patrins.
Bruegel painted the procession to Calvary in 1564. The dense and diverse crowd almost hides the relatively distant Christ carrying his cross. The religious dimension is mainly provided by the holy women in the foreground. This oil on panel is one of his largest works, 124 x 170 cm.
Pieter Brueghel the younger has not only copied the catalog of his father. His works in large format are often original compositions.
From 1599 he also treats the road to Calvary. In the 1607 version, oil on panel 122 x 170 cm, Christ is more visible and the crowd is less dense. In the distance, the city of Jerusalem looks immense.
This painting was sold for £ 5.2M by Sotheby's on July 5, 2006 and for £ 5.5M by Christie's on July 8, 2014.
Bruegel painted the procession to Calvary in 1564. The dense and diverse crowd almost hides the relatively distant Christ carrying his cross. The religious dimension is mainly provided by the holy women in the foreground. This oil on panel is one of his largest works, 124 x 170 cm.
Pieter Brueghel the younger has not only copied the catalog of his father. His works in large format are often original compositions.
From 1599 he also treats the road to Calvary. In the 1607 version, oil on panel 122 x 170 cm, Christ is more visible and the crowd is less dense. In the distance, the city of Jerusalem looks immense.
This painting was sold for £ 5.2M by Sotheby's on July 5, 2006 and for £ 5.5M by Christie's on July 8, 2014.
1624 Cycle of the Seasons
2016 SOLD for £ 6.5M by Christie's
The occupations of the months are often illustrated in the books of hours next to the calendar pages. This is a logical theme for Pieter Bruegel, who specializes in scenes from rural life. In 1565 he paints a set of six oils on panel in very large size, each featuring two months.
The next cycle is a set of four prints on the seasons. The edition, in 1570, includes two works prepared by Hans Bol after Bruegel's death.
Pieter the Younger reuses most of the iconography left by his father. He makes complete sets of the cycle of the seasons, most of which have been dissociated.
Much to the frustration of experts, the only complete example in private hands had not been seen since an auction in Switzerland in 1927. It was sold by Christie's on July 7, 2016 for £ 6.5M from a lower estimate of £ 3M, lot 6, after having been kept aside in a collection for nine decades.
The set consists of four oils on panel 42 x 57 cm each. Two are dated 1624. The four are signed P. Breughel, according to the alteration of his name which he was using since 1616. The arrangement of the signatures and dates suggests that this group was designed to be hung as a 2 x 2 square. The careful and homogeneous workmanship of these four paintings and the identification of the date, very rare for Pieter the Younger, attest to the importance the artist attached to this specific set.
The next cycle is a set of four prints on the seasons. The edition, in 1570, includes two works prepared by Hans Bol after Bruegel's death.
Pieter the Younger reuses most of the iconography left by his father. He makes complete sets of the cycle of the seasons, most of which have been dissociated.
Much to the frustration of experts, the only complete example in private hands had not been seen since an auction in Switzerland in 1927. It was sold by Christie's on July 7, 2016 for £ 6.5M from a lower estimate of £ 3M, lot 6, after having been kept aside in a collection for nine decades.
The set consists of four oils on panel 42 x 57 cm each. Two are dated 1624. The four are signed P. Breughel, according to the alteration of his name which he was using since 1616. The arrangement of the signatures and dates suggests that this group was designed to be hung as a 2 x 2 square. The careful and homogeneous workmanship of these four paintings and the identification of the date, very rare for Pieter the Younger, attest to the importance the artist attached to this specific set.
The Four Seasons: Spring; Summer; Autumn; and Winter by Pieter Brueghel II sells
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) July 7, 2016
over estimate achieving £6,466,500 pic.twitter.com/ct1E886gXK
1626 Bird Trap
2014 SOLD for £ 3.9M by Sotheby's
The winter scene titled The Bird Trap is the most frequent theme in the art of Pieter Brueghel the Younger. A quiet feeling emanates from this composition with ice skaters in the middle of the road and with birds.
Nevertheless the title is not incongruous. Ice can cover an invisible trap. The genesis of this fear dates back to the confrontation of Pieter Bruegel the Elder (spelling without 'h') with religious wars, a terrible ordeal for the end of the life of this great artist who desired to be a moralizer.
The prototype of The Bird Trap by Pieter the Elder is not identified with certainty although the example kept in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna is a good candidate. However his Massacre of the Innocents, located almost in the same place in the Flemish village with the same snow, confirms the message of the deceptive tranquility of the Bird Trap.
Morals turned progressively into a charming landscape without a major modification of the image when the memories of the war went to be erased. Five copies of the Bird Trap were dated by the artist between 1601 and 1626. The latest, 40 x 57 cm, was sold for £ 3.9M from a lower estimate of £ 1M by Sotheby's on July 9, 2014.
In a study published in 2000, Klaus Ertz considered 45 autograph paintings of the Bird Trap by Pieter the Younger.
Nevertheless the title is not incongruous. Ice can cover an invisible trap. The genesis of this fear dates back to the confrontation of Pieter Bruegel the Elder (spelling without 'h') with religious wars, a terrible ordeal for the end of the life of this great artist who desired to be a moralizer.
The prototype of The Bird Trap by Pieter the Elder is not identified with certainty although the example kept in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna is a good candidate. However his Massacre of the Innocents, located almost in the same place in the Flemish village with the same snow, confirms the message of the deceptive tranquility of the Bird Trap.
Morals turned progressively into a charming landscape without a major modification of the image when the memories of the war went to be erased. Five copies of the Bird Trap were dated by the artist between 1601 and 1626. The latest, 40 x 57 cm, was sold for £ 3.9M from a lower estimate of £ 1M by Sotheby's on July 9, 2014.
In a study published in 2000, Klaus Ertz considered 45 autograph paintings of the Bird Trap by Pieter the Younger.
Kermesse
Intro
A painter of moralities associated with peasant life, Pieter Bruegel lived in one of the worst periods of religious fanaticism. At the end of his short life, some scenes of celebrations and dances are moving away from religion, perhaps to express a hope in the unsophisticated villagers' life.
Thirty years later, when Pieter the younger started his career, times had changed. Under the yoke of Spain, Flanders was no longer a coveted country. Pieter Brueghel executed many copies from the works of his father, now valued for their picturesque scenics. He was also a great artist in his own right, featuring crowds in festivals and processions.
The later designs by Pieter the younger are much freer than those by his father. Well differentiated areas allow to highlight the occupations of many characters, always spontaneous and often truculent. He creates several variations of the kermesse of Saint George without locating them in the same village. St George is celebrated a few days after Easter when spring offers all its opulence.
Thirty years later, when Pieter the younger started his career, times had changed. Under the yoke of Spain, Flanders was no longer a coveted country. Pieter Brueghel executed many copies from the works of his father, now valued for their picturesque scenics. He was also a great artist in his own right, featuring crowds in festivals and processions.
The later designs by Pieter the younger are much freer than those by his father. Well differentiated areas allow to highlight the occupations of many characters, always spontaneous and often truculent. He creates several variations of the kermesse of Saint George without locating them in the same village. St George is celebrated a few days after Easter when spring offers all its opulence.
1
A Village Kermesse
2001 SOLD for £ 3.9M by Sotheby's
A Village Kermesse was sold for £ 3.9M by Sotheby's on July 12, 2001, lot 22.
Return from the kermesse, oil on oak panel 50 x 79, is signed P. Breughel in his post 1616 spelling. A merry procession of villagers returning from a kermesse including figures dancing to a bagpipe and a couple embracing in a horse cart. The background displays various activities in the village including dancing, sword-fighting, playing hockey, archery and processing to church.
It was sold for $ 4.6M by Sotheby's on January 27, 2011, lot 171.
Return from the kermesse, oil on oak panel 50 x 79, is signed P. Breughel in his post 1616 spelling. A merry procession of villagers returning from a kermesse including figures dancing to a bagpipe and a couple embracing in a horse cart. The background displays various activities in the village including dancing, sword-fighting, playing hockey, archery and processing to church.
It was sold for $ 4.6M by Sotheby's on January 27, 2011, lot 171.
2
1628 Kermesse of Saint George
2004 SOLD for £ 3.7M by Sotheby's
One of the St George fairs by Pieter the younger shows the dances and drinking orgies in the square of a village. The largest painting in this variant, an oil on panel 117 x 176 cm, is dated 1628. Such a dating is rare in the art of Pieter the younger and means that he was happy with its achievement. It may be the prime version. It was sold for £ 3.7M by Sotheby's on December 8, 2004, lot 11. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
On January 25, 2023, Christie's sold for $ 2.94M an oil on panel 72 x 103 cm of the kermesse of Saint George, lot 108. It differs from the example dated 1628 in tiny details. The musician is too far, the glutton has not started vomiting and there is no banner above the figure of the saint.
On January 25, 2023, Christie's sold for $ 2.94M an oil on panel 72 x 103 cm of the kermesse of Saint George, lot 108. It differs from the example dated 1628 in tiny details. The musician is too far, the glutton has not started vomiting and there is no banner above the figure of the saint.
