Jan Brueghel the Elder

Possibly Major Allnutt, Clapham Common, London;
His deceased sale, London, Christie’s, 18-20 June 1863, lot 338 (described as Brueghel, A Landscape, with post-wagons and figures on a road, for 2.15.0 guineas); or lot 395 (described as Brueghel, A Landscape, with figures and post-wagons, for 3.10.0 guineas to Naters (?);
Miss Grace Shearer, 1987;
Thence by inheritance until sold anonymously, (“ Property of a Lady”), London, Christie’s, 10 April 1987, lot 20;
David Koetser, 1992.

New Orleans 1997, no. 11;
Baltimore 1999, no. 9.

New Orleans 1997, pp. 26-28, cat. no. 11, reproduced;
Baltimore 1999, pp. 21-23, cat. no. 9, reproduced;
K. Ertz, Jan Brueghel der Ältere (1568-1625), Kritischer Katalog der Gemälde, vol. I, Lingen 2008, p. 184, cat. no. 70, reproduced p. 185 (as dated 160[9]).

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This work is in beautiful condition. It is slightly dull and could be better cleaned and varnished. The copper panel is flat and the paint layer is stable. There do not appear to be any losses or retouches. Even the corners, which are so often problematic with copper panels, seem to be well preserved.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

This jewel-like painting is a splendid example of Jan Brueghel the Elder’s small landscapes on copper.  On a surface approximately the size of a postcard, the artist has rendered a scene in astonishing detail that delights the eye.  A road on the right winds through a wooded landscape populated with wagons and travelers on horseback, while other figures walk along a footpath at left.  In the distance, the viewer can just make out the buildings and spires of a distant town.  The foliage and blades of grass have been painted with the precision of a miniaturist.  It is not difficult to understand why Brueghel’s works have been so prized by collectors and why his popularity has endured over the centuries.

This painting was included by Ertz (see Literature) among a group of paintings by the artist depicting woodland roads which are devoid of any houses or buildings.  This woodland road type, the earliest of which is dated 1605¹, is an extension of Brueghel’s forest landscapes which he first developed from around 1600.²  In composition it is closest to another painting on copper, of larger dimensions, which is dated 1608.³  That painting features the same landscape configuration with a road leading uphill away from the viewer and divided by a similar clump of trees to the left of center.  The paintings differ mainly in staffage which, here, includes more anecdotal touches such as the two women conferring at right and the man on horseback who appears to be picking the pocket of the woman in the covered wagon in the foreground.

The use of copper as a support was ideal for these small, brilliantly painted works.  The copper plate does not absorb the paint and, more so than on canvas or panel, individual brushstrokes stand up on the smooth surface.  This allowed Brueghel to display his masterful brushwork technique which is all the more impressive on such a small scale.

1.  In the Alte Pinakothek, Munich, inv. no. 1880.
2.  See New Orleans, under Literature, p. 26.
3.  Oil on copper, 13 ¼ by 19 in. (33.7 by 48.3 cm.), see Ertz, under Literature, p. 183, cat. no. 69, reproduced p. 184.