The Brueghels: an entire dynasty of artists in a major exhibition
The exhibition “The Brueghels: The Origins of Painting Genres in Europe” is on display at the Royal Palace until 31 January
The rural scenes, which feature as the primary motif, and the landscapes teeming with figures, animals and everyday objects, stand out against backgrounds with naturalistic detail, forming a veritable microcosm – a refined ‘wunderkammer’ – capable of concealing even moralistic precepts within small to medium-sized formats.
And then there were the still lifes, with their enchanting colours, in a riot of flowers arranged in sumptuous compositions. These and much more were the hallmarks of the dynasty which, in the second half of the 16th century and for much of the 17th, flooded the Flemish and European art markets with paintings of various kinds, characterised by distinctive and easily recognisable features, commissioned chiefly by merchants and the bourgeoisie, and which also enchanted the most illustrious princes of the Roman Church, foremost among them Cardinal Federico Borromeo, a great admirer and collector of Jan Brueghel the Elder, who in Italia was known as ‘Brueghel dei Velluti’.
The Royal Palace in Milan is dedicating an exhibition to the Brueghel dynasty: The Brueghels, The Origins of Pictorial Genres in Europe – a project conceived by Bernard Aikema and curated by Carlotta Triolo – organised by the City of Milan’s Department of Culture and produced by Palazzo Reale and Ventiquattrore Cultura, part of the Il Sole 24 Ore Group.
The Bethlehem Census
Among the exceptional paintings by the young Peter Brueghel on display, The Census at Bethlehem stands out. Set against a snow-covered landscape, as recounted in the New Testament, the Holy Family travels to Bethlehem to be registered in the census; however, stealing part of the limelight from Mary and Joseph—who are depicted at the bottom left of the painting—is an almost gruesome scene: the slaughter of pigs, whilst children play in the pond.
