Family of Artists...

7:48 p.m.

10/12/18 - Pieter Bruegel the Elder was the father of a saga of artists. Even though none of his sons had a skill quite like his, the brothers Jan (Belgium, 1568-1625) and Pieter the Young (Belgium, 1564- 1636) left their legacy nonetheless.

Let's start with Jan, from whom the eclectic Colección Fortabat keeps "Flowers in a Wan-Li vase", a small painting in which we can appreciate the details in the tulips, the camellias and the vase itself, a typical characteristic of Flemish masters. Jan was an expert landscape painter and collaborated with other artists, but his work is limited or was not properly preserved.

Flowers in a Wang Li vase, by Jan Bruegel (1609-11)

Technique: oil on panel / Measures: 46 x 33.9 cm

However, the collection of the Banco de la República in Bogotá treasures one of his paintings, "Adan and Eve in the garden of Eden", where the Biblical characters are surrounded by macaws, felines and monkeys in a more exotic version of the garden. In this painting Jan locates the place where Original Sin happened in an imaginary territory between Africa and America.

Adan and Eve in the Garden of Eden, by Jan Bruegel

Technique: oil on panel

Of the other brother, Pieter the Young or Pieter II, Christie’s auctioned this year a lively scene, very similar to those made by his father but with added details. The painting "The Netherlandish Proverbs" had an estimated value of 3.5 to 5.5 million pounds but reached the 6.3 million. Sotheby’s was not as fortunate since, on Dec. 5th, the painting "Winter Landscape with Skaters", by the same artist, only reached the value of 970.000 pounds. This might have been due to the fact that the piece represents more the Young Bruegel that the Elder with whom we are more familiarized. We can not overlook the importance the current Bruegel exhibition, taking place in Vienna, might have on art collectors.

The similarities between Pieter the Young and the Elder is such that they are usually confused in certain academic publications. The painting "The Census of Bethlehem", which also belongs to the Colección Fortabat, was painted by Pieter II by way of his father's famous winter landscapes.

The Census of Bethlehem, by Pieter Bruegel the Young

Technique: oil on canvas / Measures: 117.5 x 167.5 cm

As the gallery sign explains, "this stage allows the artist to include many miniature contents which offer a thorough description of the habits, traditions and surrounding geography". The excuse of the painting was the Census, and like his father before him, he places it in his own time. Mary arrives on a donkey and we must scan the picture to find her.

Finally let's clarify the spelling of the last name, which can be found as Brueghel or Brueguel. We have opted here for Bruegel as it was used by the exhibition at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.