JAN BRUEGHEL EL VIEJO (1568 / 1625) "Winter Landscape with Peasants", c. 1586-88

Jan Brueghel the Elder, called de Brueghel de Velours (of Velvet), was the son of Pieter Brueghel the Elder and grandson of Pieter Coecke and Mayken Verhulst Bessemers, his first teacher. He travelled to Italy, under the protection of Cardinal Borromeo, and to Nuremberg and Prague. In Antwerp he was court painter to the Archdukes Albert and Isabella. He was one of the creators of cabinet painting and successfully cultivated various genres of painting, particularly his still lifes and landscapes. In this genre his style is based on the tradition of the great 16th-century masters such as Joachim Patinir, Cornelis van Dalem and, of course, his father Pieter Bruegel the Elder, but evolved in the early 17th century towards a more innovative, realistic landscape. He collaborated with the great painters of the time such as Rubens, Joost de Momper, Hendrick van Balen and Sebastian Vrancx. Work certified by Justus Muller Hofstede (1929-2015) in 2009. . 36 x 50 cm. Oil on table