Pieter Bruegel. Victoria Charles
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on wood, 118 × 161 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Thus, it was probably in 1545, between the ages of fifteen and twenty, that Bruegel became the apprentice of Pieter Coecke, his first master. His artistic calling was unquestionably awakened long before the end of his apprenticeship. Given his death in 1569, it seems unlikely that he began lessons with Coecke any earlier than 1545. Such a young age at death is hard to believe, given the significance of his work.
Children’s Games (detail)
1560
Oil on wood, 118 × 161 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Pieter Bruegel the Elder had two sons and a daughter (Pieter, Jan, and Mayken) with his wife, Mayken Coecke, the daughter of his master Pieter Coecke. The elder son, Pieter, nicknamed ‘Hell Brueghel’, copied many of his father’s works and treated similar subjects with variations. He was particularly known for his images of devilry and Hell, hence his nickname.
Children’s Games (detail)
1560
Oil on wood, 118 × 161 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
It is difficult to ascertain the originality of his work where vulgarity seems to have replaced the careful observation and powerful realism of his father. Nevertheless, Pieter Brueghel the Younger was much appreciated by his contemporaries. Van Dyck painted his portrait and the excellent painter of animals, Frans Snyders, was one of his students.
The Rabbit Hunt
1560
Etching, 22.3 × 29.1 cm
The Royal Library of Albert I, Brussels
His brother, Jan Brueghel the Elder, nicknamed ‘Velvet Brueghel’ for the richness of his palette, was by far the better painter. Jan’s talent was very personal and full of charm, and he painted many canvases in collaboration with Rubens. He was an extremely talented painter of flowers, capturing their splendour and heady perfumed atmosphere. Pieter Brueghel the Younger and Jan Brueghel the Elder both had sons that also became painters. Pieter III, son of Pieter the Younger, and Jan the Younger, son of Jan the Elder.
Sailing Vessels
1560-1565
Engraving, 22.1 × 28.7 cm
British Museum, London
Anne Brueghel, the sister of Jan Brueghel the Younger, would marry David Teniers the Younger, thus assuring the continuation of one of the most numerous and glorious of the many dynasties of Netherlandish painters.
After learning the basics from Coecke, Pieter Bruegel the Elder left to work in the studio of Hieronymus Cock, who was more a merchant of paintings and engravings than he was painter. He acquired a great deal of fame as an engraver and created a large number of plates for his shop.
Christ’s Descent into Limbo
1561
Pen and brown ink, 23.1 × 30.1 cm
Graphische Sammlung, Albertina, Vienna
At the beginning of his career, Bruegel composed many mountainous backgrounds that were complicated, picturesque, and imposing. He submitted to the influence of Cock’s studio, docilely accepting the lessons that enabled him to properly interpret nature and already furnishing his master with a profitable product.
The Resurrection
c. 1562
Pen and brown ink highlighted with grey paint, 43.1 × 30.7 cm
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam
Among these, he must have sensed a natural attraction for the fantastical subjects of Hieronymus Bosch, and the comical popular scenes of Pieter Aertsen and Quentin Matsys, from which may have sprung the spark that would set his genius afire.
In keeping with the fashion of the times, Bruegel exhibited a strong and legitimate desire to study the Italian masterpieces in Italy.
The Triumph of Death
c. 1562
Oil on panel, 117 × 162 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid
Two of his etchings, The Abduction of Psyche and Daedalus and Icarus, both signed and dated in Rome, are irrefutable evidence of his presence in the Eternal City. His work shows no trace of the influence that foreign beauty might have inspired, showing clear proof that he was not attracted to Italy by an invincible force. Bruegel was simply too artistic not to be curious to want to know Italy.
The Triumph of Death (detail)
c. 1562
Oil on panel, 117 × 162 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid
In the aesthetic discussions in Hieronymus Cock’s studio, the young Bruegel’s spirit must have been excited to hear about the Italian masterpieces whose mastery he could not deny, even with his limited knowledge.
It is clear that Bruegel as a young peasant must have had an adventurous spirit to have left his village of birth to come to the city and find his fortune and career in the arts.
The Triumph of Death (detail)
c. 1562
Oil on panel, 117 × 162 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid
Despite all of this, Bruegel set off with the money that he was able to save from what Cock had paid him for his work. Importantly and irrefutably, it should be remembered that Bruegel was added as a master to the register of the Guild of Saint Luke in 1551.
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