Jan Brueghel the Elder
1568–1625

Selected artwork
View of Heidelberg
ca. 1588–89
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Other names (332)
Bereugal, Bhrueghel, Blumen Breugel, Blumenbrueghel, Breaghel de Volours, Bregeln, Breghel de Velour, Breigel, Brengheel, Brenghel, Brenghell, Brenghels de Velours, Breuchel de Velours, Breugal, Breugel. de Fluweele, Breugel den Fluweelen, Breugel den Ouden, Breugel de Velleurs, Breugel de Velour, Breugel de Veloure, Breugel de Velours, Breugel de Vloer, Breugel de Vloin, Breugel de Vlours, Breugel dit de Velour, Breugel dit de Velours, Breugel Joh., Breugell de Velours, Breugel le vieux, Breugels de Velours, Breugen, Breughael, Breughal, Breughall, Breughel, Breughel de Fluweele, Breughel de Vel., Breughel de Veloers, Breughel de Velour, Breughel de Veloure, Breughel de Velours, Breughel dit de Velours, Breughel dit Jean, Breughel Jean dit de velours, Breughell, Breughel le Velours, Breughel padre, Breughels, Breughels De Velour, Breughels de Velours, Breughels dit de Velours, Breughels van Velours, Breughel the Old, Breugheul, Breughi, Breughil, Breughil de Velours, Breughill, Breughill de Velours, Breugle, Breugle de Velour, Breugle de Velours, Breugle le Velours, Breugles de Velours, Briaghell, Brieughel, Briügel De Velours, Broegel, Broeghel, Broeugel, Brögel, Brögel de Vel, Brögeln, Brogels, Broghle de fleur, Broughel, Brougle, Brucoli vecchio, Brucolo, Brucolo padre, Brucolo vecchio, Bruegel, Bruegels, Brueghall, Brueghel, Brueghel de Paradis, Brueghel de Velours, Brueghel dit de Velours, Brueghell, Brueghel of Brussels, Brueghel the Elder, Brug., Brugall, Brugel de veleur, Brugel de Velour, Brugel de Velours, Brughael, Brugheal, Brughel, Brughel de Velcouri, Brughel De Velours, Brughel de Vlour, Brughell, Brughels de Velours, Brughel Velvet, Brughill, Brugo, brugolo il vecchio, Brugolo vecchio, Brugo Novecchio, Bruguel, Bruguel de la Voilure, Bruguel Paesista, Bruyhelle, called the Old John Brueghel, called Velvet Breughel John Breughel, called Velvet Brueghel John Brueghel, de F. Breugel, de fluele Breugel, de fluweele Breugel, de Fluweelen Breugel, de Fluweele van Breugel, de Fluwele Breugel, de Fluwelen Breugel, de Fluwelen Brueghel, den Fluweele Breugel, den fluweelen Breugel, den Fluwelen Breugel, den Ouden Breugel, den oude van Breugel, Der sog. Samtbrueghel Jan Brueghel d. Ae., de Velours Breugel, de Velours Breughel, de Velours J. Breughel, de Velours Jean Breughel, de Vlours Breugel, dit Breughel de Velours Jean Breughel, dit Breugle de Velours Jean Breughel, dit Develour Breugel, dit, De Velour Jean Breughel, dit De Velours Breugel, dit de Velours Breughel, dit de Velours Brueghel, dit de Velours Brughel, dit De Velours J. Breugel, dit De Velours J. Breughel, dit de Velours J. Breughels, dit de Velours Jean Breugel, dit de Velours Jean Breughel, dit de Velours Jean Breughels, dit le Breughel de velours Jean Breughel, dit le Velours Jean Breugel, F. Breugel, F. Breughel, Flaelen Breugel, Flowellen Breughel, Flower Breughel, fluele Breugel, Fluelle Breugel, Fluen Prôgel, Fluweele Breugel, Fluweelen Breugel, Fluweelen Breughel, fluwele Breugel, Fluwelen Breugel, Fruellen Brugell, Fruellen Brughel, Gamle Breughel, genannt Blumen-Breughel Johann, genannt Blumen-Breughel Johann Breughell, genannt Sammet Breughel Johann Breughel, gen. sammetbreughel jan breughel d. a., gen. sammetbrueghel jan brueghel der altere, gen. van Vlour Jann Brögel, Gio. Breughel, gio. brughel fiamengo, Giovan Breughel, Giovanni Breughel, Giovanni di Brucolo, Giuseppe Buoccolo, H. Breughel, Ian Breugel, I. Breugel, I. Breughel, Jan Breugel, Jan Breugel den Ouden, Jan Breughal, Jan Breughel, Jan Breughel d. Ae. gen. Sammtbreughel, Jan Breughel d. J., Jan Breughel I, Jan Breughell, Jan Breughel the Elder, Jan Breughi, Jan Briaghell, Jan Broeghel, Jan Broughel the Elder, Jan Brucolo, Jan Bruegel (I), Jan Bruegel the Elder, Jan Brueghel d. Ae. gen. Sammetbrueghel, jan brueghel d. a. gen. sammetbrueghel, Jan Brueghel de Oude, jan brueghel gen. sammetbrueghel, jan brueghel gen. sammet-brueghel, Jan Brueghel (I), Jan Brueghel Sr., Jan Brueghel th Elder, Jan Brughel, Jan Brugolo il Vecchio, Jan, d.Ä., gen. Samtbreughel Breughel, Jan der Ältere de Velours Bruegel, Jan, genannt Samtbreughel Breughel, Jan I Breugel, Jan I Breughel, Jan I Bruegel, Jan (I) Brueghel, Jan I (de Fluweelen Brueghel) Brueghel, Jan, il vecchio Brucoli, Jan of de Fluele Breugel, Jan, Samtbreughel Breughel, Jan, the elder Breugel, Jan, the elder Breughel, Jan, the Elder Bruegel, Jan, the elder Brueghel, Jan Velvet Brueghel, Jan (Velvet) Brueghel the Elder, Jan (Velvet), the Elder Brueghel, J. Brenghel, J. Breugehl, J. Breugel, J. Breugel de Velours, J. Breugel dit de Velours, J. Breughel, J. Breughel de Velours, J. Breughel dit de Velours, J. Breughel le Pere, J. Breughel the Elder, J. Brögel, J. Bruegel, J. Brueghel the Elder, J. Brughel, Jean Breugel, Jean Breugel dit de Velours, Jean Breughel, Jean Breughel detto de Velours, Jean Breughel de Velours, Jean Breughel dit de Velour, Jean Breughel dit de Velours, Jean Breughels, Jean Breughel the Elder, Jean Breugle, Jean Brughel de Velours, Jean Bruguel dit de Velours, Jean dit de Velours Bruguel, Johan Breugel, Johan. Breughel de Velours, Johann Breugel, johann breughel, Johann Brögel, Johann Brueghel, Johann Brueghell, Johannes Breugel, Johann Velvet Breughel, Joh. Breugel, Joh. Breughel, Joh. Broegel, Joh. Brögel, Joh. Brueghel, John Breughel, John Breughell, John Brueghel, John Brughel, Lavecio Breugel, Le Breugle de Velours, le Brueghel de Velours, Le Vieux Breughel, Monsu Brugo Novecchio, O. Breughel, O. Brughael, O. Brughel, Old Braughel, Old Breugel, Old Breughel, old Breughell, Old Bruegal, Old Brueghel, Old Brugel, old Brugell, Old Brughel, Old Brughell, otherwise Velvet Breughel John, ou Breughel de Velours Jean Breughel, Paradise Breughel, P. Breugel de Velours, Sam. Breughell, Sammel Breughel, Sammet Breugel, Sammet=Breughel, Sammit Breughel, Sammt=Breughel, Sammt Breughell, T. Breugel, the elder Breughel, the elder Brueghel, Van Breughel, van Brouel de folour, V. Breugel, V. Breughel, V. Brueghel, V. Brughel, V. Brughell, V. Brughels, Vel. Breughel, Vel. Brughell, Velvect Brueghel, Velvet Brenghel, Velvet Breugel, Velvet Breughel, Velvet Breughel Johann, Velvet Breughel John, Velvet Breughell, Velvet Breugle, Velvet Bruegel, Velvet Brueghal, Velvet Brueghel, Velvet Brueghel Breugel, Velvet Brueghel Brueghel, Velvet Brughel, Velvet Brughell, Velvet Brughle, Ver Brughell
Biography
Jan Brueghel the Elder ( BROY-gəl, US also BROO-gəl; Dutch: [ˈjɑm ˈbrøːɣəl] ; 1568 – 13 January 1625) was a Flemish painter and draughtsman. He was the younger son of the eminent Flemish Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder, and brother to Pieter Brueghel the Younger. A close friend and frequent collaborator with Peter Paul Rubens, the two artists were the leading Flemish painters in the Flemish Baroque painting of the first three decades of the 17th century.
Brueghel worked in many genres including history paintings, flower still lifes, allegorical and mythological scenes, landscapes and seascapes, hunting pieces, village scenes, battle scenes and scenes of hellfire and the underworld. He was an important innovator who invented new types of paintings such as flower garland paintings, paradise landscapes, and gallery paintings in the first quarter of the 17th century. However, he generally avoided painting large figures, as in portraits, though he often collaborated with other painters who did these, while he did the landscape backgrounds, and sometimes the clothes.
He further created genre paintings that were imitations, pastiches and reworkings of his father's works, in particular his father's genre scenes and landscapes with peasants. Brueghel represented the type of the pictor doctus, the erudite painter whose works are informed by the religious motifs and aspirations of the Catholic Counter-Reformation as well as the scientific revolution with its interest in accurate description and classification. He was court painter of the Archduke and Duchess Albert VII and Isabella, sovereigns of the Spanish Netherlands.
The artist was nicknamed "Velvet" Brueghel, "Flower" Brueghel, and "Paradise" Brueghel. The first is believed to have been given him because of his mastery in the rendering of fabrics. The second nickname is a reference to his fame as a painter of (although not a specialist in) flower pieces and the last one to his invention of the genre of the paradise landscape. His brother Pieter Brueghel the Younger was traditionally nicknamed de helse Brueghel, 'Hell Brueghel' because it was believed he was the creator of a number of paintings with fantastic depictions of fire and grotesque imagery. These paintings have now been reattributed to Jan Brueghel the Elder.
Wikipedia contributors. Opening excerpt, formatted for reading. CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision.
Later influence
- Jan Brueghel the Youngereditorial inference
Evidence
Wikidata assertion retained for review; its references, if supplied, have not been independently verified.
- Georg Hainzeditorial inference
Evidence
Wikidata assertion retained for review; its references, if supplied, have not been independently verified.
- Jan van Kessel the Eldereditorial inference
Evidence
Wikidata assertion retained for review; its references, if supplied, have not been independently verified.
Artworks by year
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Museums & collections
Documented holdings of works attributed to Jan Brueghel the Elder. Check the museum’s record for current display information.
- Museo Nacional del Prado28 recorded works
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art4 recorded works
- Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie3 recorded works
- National Gallery of Art3 recorded works
- Rijksmuseum3 recorded works
- Alte Pinakothek — Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen1 recorded work
- Art Institute of Chicago1 recorded work
- Minneapolis Institute of Art1 recorded work
- musée des Beaux-Arts — Pau1 recorded work
Art, literature & history