Paintings of peasant life (1567-68)
by Pieter BRUEGEL the Elder

The paintings illustrating peasant life, executed in 1567-68, are the most outstanding examples of Bruegel's late style, which is characterized by his use of monumental Italianate figures. It was paintings of this type which caused Bruegel to be known as Peasant Bruegel. In fact, we now know that he was a leading member of a highly sophisticated humanist circle in Antwerp. With our increasing knowledge of the symbolism contained in much sixteenth-century northern painting, it seems likely that, in addition to the obvious celebration of peasant life, the pictures have a moral dimension, too.

Preview Picture Data Info
Peasant Wedding
c. 1567
Oil on wood, 114 x 164 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna


Peasant Wedding (detail)
c. 1567
Oil on wood, width of detail 25 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna


Peasant Wedding (detail)
c. 1567
Oil on wood
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna


Peasant Wedding (detail)
c. 1567
Oil on wood
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna


Peasant Wedding (detail)
c. 1567
Oil on wood
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna


Peasant Wedding (detail)
c. 1567
Oil on wood
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna


Peasant Wedding (detail)
c. 1567
Oil on wood, width of detail 25 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna


Peasant Wedding (detail)
c. 1567
Oil on wood
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna


The Peasant Dance
c. 1567
Oil on oak panel, 114 x 164 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna


The Peasant Dance (detail)
c. 1567
Oil on oak panel, width of detail 25 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna


The Peasant Dance (detail)
c. 1567
Oil on oak panel
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna


The Peasant Dance (detail)
c. 1567
Oil on oak panel
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna


The Peasant Dance (detail)
c. 1567
Oil on oak panel, width of detail 39 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna


The Peasant Dance (detail)
c. 1567
Oil on oak panel, width of detail 25 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna


Wedding Dance in the Open Air
1566
Oil on panel, 119 x 157 cm
Institute of Arts, Detroit


Wedding Dance in the Open Air (detail)
1566
Oil on panel
Institute of Arts, Detroit


The Land of Cockaigne
1567
Oil on panel, 52 x 78 cm
Alte Pinakothek, Munich


The Land of Cockaigne (detail)
1567
Oil on panel
Alte Pinakothek, Munich


The Land of Cockaigne (detail)
1567
Oil on panel
Alte Pinakothek, Munich


The Land of Cockaigne (detail)
1567
Oil on panel
Alte Pinakothek, Munich



Summary of works by Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Paintings
Landscapes | Children's games | Proverbs
Village life | Demons and devils | Tower of Babel
Series of Months | Religious themes | St John the Baptist
Peasant life | Large figures | Miscellaneous
Graphics



© Web Gallery of Art, created by Emil Krén and Daniel Marx.