Follower of Pieter Brueghel the Younger

Christie's, South Kensington, February 21, 2007, lot 922 (as After Pieter Brueghel the Younger).

The painting is executed on a flat piece of copper with is inset into wooden strips. Various small, scattered retouches are visible throughout the sky under UV light, as well as a small isolated area in the center right, in the middle of the main tree. The paint quality has thinned over time but no major losses or damages are visible. In a carved giltwood frame.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

See Sothebys.com for an additional illustration of this lot.

This copper repeats Pieter Brueghel the Younger's composition of The Birdtrap, which in turn was derived from his father's famous painting, Hunters in the Snow, now in the Kunsthistoriches Museum, Vienna (inv. no. GG_1838). The enduring and widespread popularity of the composition is attested to by the number of versions painted by Pieter Brueghel the Younger and his workshop and following; some one hundred and twenty seven versions are known, of which Dr. Klaus Ertz lists forty-five as from the hand of Brueghel the Younger himself.  Dated examples range from 1601 to 1626 (see K. Ertz, Pieter Brueghel der Jüngen, Lingen 2000, vol. II, pp. 605-630).