Tiny town

The sense of scale in the work is shown by looking at the Flemish-style port city, which is impressively tiny in comparison to the tower.

Depicting detail

Looking closer at the painting, you can see Bruegel depiction of technical and mechanical details, shown through the building materials on the tower.

Living up high

Bruegel paints the workers’ houses into the stone outer structure, which blends elements of classical houses with Romanesque architecture.

Nature vs. man-made

Bruegel paints the tower blending into the rocky slope, providing a cross-over of nature and man-made materials.