Pieter The Elder Bruegel Art for Sale and Sold Prices

- d. 1569

Pieter Bruegel the Elder was a 16th-century Dutch painter and printmaker who made major contributions to the development of genre and landscape painting. He is well known for his works depicting Flemish peasants performing everyday activities and for his large paintings featuring sweeping natural landscapes. The largest collections of his works of art are in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels.

About Pieter Bruegel



  • Name: Pieter Bruegel I

  • Alias: Pieter Bruegel the Elder

  • Profession: Painter and printmaker, b. ca. 1525 - d. 1569

  • Nationality: Dutch


Biography


Not much is known about the early life of Pieter Bruegel, though historians place his birth date around 1525 and believe his birthplace to be in or around Breda, the Netherlands. As a young man, he relocated to Antwerp, where he served as an apprentice in the shop of artist Pieter Coecke van Aelst.

After a trip to Italy, Bruegel returned to Antwerp in 1554 or 1555 and began to produce drawings that served as the basis for engravings sold by publishing giant Hieronymus Cock. Although he worked for Cock until his death, Bruegel became more focused on painting during the last decade of his life, producing works like The Census of Bethlehem (1566) and The Peasant Wedding (1567).

In 1563, Bruegel married Pieter Coecke’s daughter, Mayken. After the artist died in 1569, his sons, Pieter Brueghel the Younger and Jan Brueghel the Elder, became celebrated artists.

Related Styles



Highlights and Achievements



  • Bruegel became a master painter of the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp.

  • He served as a pioneer in genre painting, depicting peasants in everyday life.

  • He advanced landscape painting by depicting mythological and religious figures in highly detailed natural surroundings.


Read Full Artist Biography

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About Pieter The Elder Bruegel

- d. 1569

Related Styles/Movements

Old Masters

Biography

Pieter Bruegel the Elder was a 16th-century Dutch painter and printmaker who made major contributions to the development of genre and landscape painting. He is well known for his works depicting Flemish peasants performing everyday activities and for his large paintings featuring sweeping natural landscapes. The largest collections of his works of art are in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels.

About Pieter Bruegel



  • Name: Pieter Bruegel I

  • Alias: Pieter Bruegel the Elder

  • Profession: Painter and printmaker, b. ca. 1525 - d. 1569

  • Nationality: Dutch


Biography


Not much is known about the early life of Pieter Bruegel, though historians place his birth date around 1525 and believe his birthplace to be in or around Breda, the Netherlands. As a young man, he relocated to Antwerp, where he served as an apprentice in the shop of artist Pieter Coecke van Aelst.

After a trip to Italy, Bruegel returned to Antwerp in 1554 or 1555 and began to produce drawings that served as the basis for engravings sold by publishing giant Hieronymus Cock. Although he worked for Cock until his death, Bruegel became more focused on painting during the last decade of his life, producing works like The Census of Bethlehem (1566) and The Peasant Wedding (1567).

In 1563, Bruegel married Pieter Coecke’s daughter, Mayken. After the artist died in 1569, his sons, Pieter Brueghel the Younger and Jan Brueghel the Elder, became celebrated artists.

Related Styles



Highlights and Achievements



  • Bruegel became a master painter of the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp.

  • He served as a pioneer in genre painting, depicting peasants in everyday life.

  • He advanced landscape painting by depicting mythological and religious figures in highly detailed natural surroundings.


Notable Sold Lots

Bruegel, P. the Elder (±1525-1569) (after). Anger (Ira). Engraving by P. VA

Bruegel, P. the Elder (±1525-1569) (after). Anger (Ira). Engraving by P. VA

Sold: EUR 4,750
PIETER BRUEGEL THE ELDER (after) Christ and the Adulteress

PIETER BRUEGEL THE ELDER (after) Christ and the Adulteress

Sold: USD 3,500
Pieter Bruegel The Elder - Census At Bethlehem

Pieter Bruegel The Elder - Census At Bethlehem

Sold: USD 260

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