2615 - Bril Paul

Bril Paul 1553/54 Breda – 1626 Rome Seascape with a harbor, an old tower, ships, and figures. Circa 1610–1615 Oil on canvas, with relining Monogrammed lower left: PB Framed 100 × 140 cm Private collection, Switzerland Expert opinion: Dr. Luuk Pijl, Dokkum, February 17, 2026. This work will be included by Luuk Pijl in the catalogue raisonné currently in preparation. Paul Bril, the most influential landscape painter of his time, was trained in Antwerp by Damiaen Ortelmans—a painter who is scarcely known today—and was already earning a living at the age of just 14 by painting landscapes on harpsichords. In 1576, he traveled to Rome, where he joined his older brother Matthijs, who was working there on large-scale frescoes. Following his brother’s early death in 1583, Paul Bril took on several papal commissions in the Vatican as well as in various churches and villas in and around Rome. He played a central role in the Eternal City not only artistically but also socially. Bril served as director of the Accademia di San Luca and was a member of the artists’ association Virtuosi al Pantheon. He also introduced Jan Brueghel the Elder to the prominent patron Cardinal Federico Borromeo, served as best man at the wedding of the influential German painter Adam Elsheimer, and hosted Bartholomeus Breenbergh for many years. Paul Bril died in 1626, leaving behind an impressive body of work consisting of wall decorations, etchings, drawings, and paintings. His work paved the way for Claude Lorrain, who would become Europe’s most important landscape painter of the 17th century. This coastal landscape by Paul Bril is a high-quality and significant addition to the small group of landscapes painted on canvas featuring motifs of the Mediterranean coast. Around 1600, Bril painted similar compositions on copper plates. The best-known examples today are the two harbor scenes in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. While these are still composed in the Mannerist style, the later group of harbor paintings clearly depicts more natural seascapes. None of Bril’s coastal paintings on canvas are dated by the artist. However, given his general stylistic development, it seems plausible that they were created between 1610 and 1615. Auction date: November 28, 2026 Approximate auction time: 9:06 a.m. CET