Trompeuses séductions. La Chute d’Icare des Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique à Bruxelles

in CeROArt : Conservation, Exposition, Restauration d'Objets d'Art (2013)

The scientific examination of the Fall of Icarus of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels leads to the conclusion that the work is not by the hand of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, as with a ... [more ▼]

The scientific examination of the Fall of Icarus of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels leads to the conclusion that the work is not by the hand of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, as with a second version in the Van Buuren Museum (Brussels). The painting is no doubt a copy after a lost original by the artist. The analysis of a cross-section of the paint layer and radiocarbon dating of the canvas suggest that it is an old copy. Under the worn and retouched paint layer, camouflaged by a yellowed varnish, the infrared reflectogram reveals a studious and clumsy underdrawing that is neither characteristic of Pieter Bruegel the Elder nor of Pieter Brueghel the Younger, his elder son and primary copyist. The poor condition of the painting hinders any attempt at attribution, but this should not prevent its admirers from continuing to savour its mysterious charms. [less ▲]

Pieter Brueghel as a copyist after Pieter Bruegel

Conference (2012, May 22)

When Pieter Bruegel the Elder died in 1569, his elder son and principal continuator, Pieter Brueghel the Younger, was only four or five years old. The amazingly faithful replicas by the latter were ... [more ▼]

When Pieter Bruegel the Elder died in 1569, his elder son and principal continuator, Pieter Brueghel the Younger, was only four or five years old. The amazingly faithful replicas by the latter were therefore made decades later, after models that were not always the original versions, disseminated at that time; they also relied on a treasure trove of working drawings inherited from Bruegel the Elder. Reconstructing this lost preparatory material through the evidence uncovered during technical examination of the copies of his sons (especially Pieter’s but also Jan’s) is one aspect that will be illustrated in this paper through a few key case studies such as the Battle between Carnival and Lent, the Sermon of St John the Baptist and the Wedding Dance in the Open Air. The presentation will thus describe the actual methods of both the creator and his foremost copyist, based on combined results of infrared reflectography, practical reconstructions and comparisons of tracings of their respective paintings. Brueghel the Younger’s vast and successful copying enterprise required a streamlined production process, and this gradually came to light over the technical research into 60+ paintings by the artist and his workshop. The most interesting discoveries on his techniques and materials – supports, preparatory layers, underdrawings, and pigments – will be illustrated through different examples of his work. This evidence, seen in conjunction with the evidence of the transfer technique, allows us to distinguish his production from that of rival copyists. The realisation that Brueghel the Younger’s copies of the same composition are not all alike and that there are often several variants of them will be considered in relation to the organization of work within – and possibly outside – his workshop. This issue, examined alongside that of the attribution of the copies within series, gives us a more nuanced view of Brueghel the Younger’s output and working practice. [less ▲]

The Brueg[H]el Phenomenon : Paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder and Pieter Brueghel the Younger with a special Focus on Technique and Copying Practice

Book published by Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage - Koninklijk INstituut voor het Kusntaptrimonium (KIK) - INstitut royal du Patrimoine artistique (IRPA) (2012)

The fascination exerted by the works of the illustrious Pieter Bruegel the Elder in the decades following his death in 1569 is matched only by the intense interest they generate today. At the end of the ... [more ▼]

The fascination exerted by the works of the illustrious Pieter Bruegel the Elder in the decades following his death in 1569 is matched only by the intense interest they generate today. At the end of the sixteenth century and in the first half of the seventeenth, the most ambitious art collectors fought over the few paintings by the master that were still on the market. This setting was the catalyst for the appearance of copies and pastiches - and even deliberate forgeries. It was then that the elder son of Pieter Bruegel, known as Pieter Brueghel the Younger (whose name is spelled ‘Brueghel' here, conforming to the signature that he adopted during the initial phase of his career) emerged as a legitimate successor, producing astonishingly faithful replicas of his father's paintings. This was all the more surprising given that they were often made after works that were by then dispersed in diverse and sometimes inaccessible private collections. Operating within the context of a sizeable workshop, Brueghel supplied the market with hundreds of copies of variable quality according to demand. This enterprise merited re-evaluation from a technical point of view: how were such vast numbers of copies produced in practice? This three-volume book explores the intriguing Brueg[H]el phenomenon through the two artists' painting practices. The technical aspects of their works are investigated in a detective-like manner and are strikingly elucidated with a wealth of colour illustrations. The reader will come to understand the accomplished practitioner behind the genius that is Bruegel the Elder and the working procedures of his foremost emulator's workshop. Furthermore, Brueghel the Younger's exceptional qualities as a painter are singled out from those of his workshop production. The book also reveals fresh discoveries on the father's creative process through the study of his son's copies. Readers will also have access to a website with more than 2000 illustrations. [less ▲]

The Brueg[H]el Phenomenon Paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder and Pieter Brueghel the Younger with a Special Focus on Technique and Copying Practice

Scientific conference (2012)

Dans l'atelier des Brueg(h)el père et fils. Pratiques d'un créateur et de son copiste

Scientific conference (2012)