Oil on copper
Flanders, c. 1650
Jan Brueghel II (1601-1678) – Flemish landscape, flower and animal painter of the Baroque period
We thank Dr. Klaus Ertz for the latest scientific support; furthermore with a certificate by Dr. Klaus Ertz, Freren, dated February 3, 1986 (available as copy)
Dimensions: 72 x 93 cm
Frame: 88 x 109 cm
Good condition
Provenance: Private collection since the 1970s)
Exhibition: La Dynastie Brueghel, La Pinacothèque de Paris, Paris, October 11, 2013 - March 16, 2014


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The present painting is an interesting example of Jan Brueghel’s late artistic period and unveils the Antwerp artist’s ability to develop own compositions and without reference to the works of his famous father, Jan Brueghel the Elder. The painting belongs to a series of depictions of Adam’s life and therefore reflects the wide spread interest in the subject of the ‘paradise landscape’ that was very popular with Flemish painters in the 17th century.

Inspired by the story of Adam’s life as described in Moses’ First Book, Jan Brueghel unwinds the plot with an exceptional sense of detail in contrast to other Flemish painters of that time. The here presented scene shows the episode ‘Adam working in the field’ (Genesis 3: 17-18):

To Adam he said: ‘Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it’, Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.’

Condition:

The painting is in a good condition, consistent with age. The paint surface is slightly rubbed. Inspection under UV light shows scattered areas of retouching, especially to Adam’s face, as well as to the background and the sky. The frame shows marks with scattered material losses. The copper plate measures 72 x 93 cm and the framed overall dimensions are 88 x 109 cm.

Jan Brueghel II (1601-1678)

Born in Antwerp, Jan Brueghel was the first son of Jan Brueghel the Elder, who is regarded alongside Peter Paul Rubens one of the greatest painters of the early 17th century. In 1622, Jan Brueghel II traveled to Italy, and a bit later also to France. In 1625, he returned to Antwerp and was registered at the St. Luke Guild, the union of Antwerp painters, as well as at the rhetoric chamber ‘De Violierene’. From 1630 to 1631, he acted as dean of the St. Luke Guild. These years are considered the most successful period of his artistic career. In 1651, he received commissions from the Austrian court which were provoked by his brother-in-law, the painter David Teniers the Younger. The latter was a court painter and conservator of the Archduke Leopold Wilhelm. Today, works by Jan Brueghel II are part of important museum collections, including the National Gallery in Athens and the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. (cbo)

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