Pieter Brueghel the Younger

Anonymous sale ("The Property of a Lady"), London, Christie's, December 14, 1990, lot 77;
Anonymous sale, Cologne, December 6, 1997, lot 1120, where acquired by the present owner.  

K. Ertz, Pieter Brueghel der Jüngere, Lingen 2000, p. 788, cat . no. 1059, reproduced.

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 painting is framed behind glass but has been examined under ultraviolet light. The panel is un-reinforced on the reverse and the paint layer seems to be stable, although it is thickly varnished. Under ultraviolet light there are a few dots of retouch visible in the darker colors. There may be other restoration beneath an earlier varnish, not necessarily in the foreground and the sky has most likely received some restorations which are not visible under ultraviolet light. This is a picture is too heavily varnished and although cleaning may expose older restorations and possibly some slight instability to the paint layer, this would be well worthwhile in the long run.
"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."

Pieter Brueghel the Younger must have found the inspiration for this dramatic image in his father's body of work. Georges Marlier argued this point by concluding it must have been the invention of Pieter Brueghel the Elder as only he was capable of such strong compositional organization. Gustave Gluck proved more concretely through archival documents that a painting of this composition by Pieter Brueghel the Elder once existed but is lost today. The painting was last documented in 1655 as a part of the inventory of the late Lord Arundel, described as BRVEGEL: Contadini che si batteno. Further evidence of Pieter Brueghel the Elder's invention of this composition is found in the Lucas Vorsterman print dating circa 1620 which caries the inscription Pieter Brueghel invent. Vorsterman was active during the mid-17^th century and is known to sometimes base his prints on Pieter Brueghel the Elder. Vorsterman also often collaborated with Peter Paul Rubens, who was a great admirer and collector of the elder Breughel's work, and was known to copy Pieter Brueghel the Elder's compositions.  In fact, a version of the present painting was found in Rubens' posthumous inventory.

Depicted in this painting is a brawl between peasants as a result of a card game. In comparison with other works representing this subject, Ertz, in his catalogue raisonné, notices a particularly rich staffage in the background, who appear to be celebrating the kermesse of St. George.