The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 24, 2024
Peter Bruegel
1606
(Flemish, c. 1570–1629)
after Bartholomaeus Spranger
(Flemish, 1546–1611)
Sheet: 30.1 x 20.4 cm (11 7/8 x 8 1/16 in.)
Gift of P. & D. Colnaghi Co. 1925.1218
Catalogue raisonné: Hollstein 279 (XXI.58)
Location: not on view
Description
Around 1600, three decades after the death of artist Pieter Bruegel (about 1525-1569), a renewed interest in his work sparked the so-called Bruegel Renaissance. Admired for his scenes of everyday life and his realistic landscapes, he was highly praised for faithfully following nature. Appropriately, the inscription on Sadeler's print is a lengthy discussion about the imitation of nature, a matter of great interest to artists at the time. Bruegel is surrounded by Minerva and Mercury (who here personify Art and Eloquence, respectively) and a composite figure of Fortune and Fame. The cherub bearing the skull and torch at bottom is probably Thanatos, a classical symbol of death. He bows to mourn the artist, but as the still-flaming torch indicates, Bruegel's genius and fame are immortal.- Mannerism: Italian, French, and Netherlandish Prints, 1520-1620. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 3-October 26, 1997).Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; 8/3/97 - 10/26/97. "Mannerism: Italian, French, and Netherlandish Prints, 1520-1620."Design and Decoration: Ornament Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 7-October 28, 1990).
- {{cite web|title=Peter Bruegel|url=false|author=Aegidius Sadeler, Bartholomaeus Spranger|year=1606|access-date=24 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1925.1218