Print design by Bruegel

Pieter Bruegel is probably the most important and most innovative artist from the 16th century. Besides being the painter of the world-famous 'Spreekwoorden' (Proverbs) and 'Dulle Griet' (Mad Meg), he was also a print designer. The Museum Plantin-Moretus has a print of almost all of his compositions in its storage depots.

Pieter Bruegel is probably the most important and most innovative artist from the 16th century. Besides being the painter of the world-famous 'Spreekwoorden' (Proverbs) and 'Dulle Griet' (Mad Meg), he was also a print designer. These works of art on paper certainly match his paintings when it comes to inventiveness, complexity and visual appeal.

To date, we have only found 40 paintings by this artist from Antwerp, yet as many as 71 print compositions are known to be his work. The Museum Plantin-Moretus holds a print of almost all of these compositions in its storage depots.

From a series of ten sailing ships. This print was begun by Frans Huys around 1561, however, Huys died in 1562. Several years later, the publisher Cock arranged for Cornelis Cort to complete this copper plate.

Bruegel made many sketches of ships, both on his travels and in his home town of Antwerp. These now provide rich information for ship historians, thanks to their accuracy and detail.

The ship-portrait genre flourished particularly from the late-16th century in the Northern Netherlands, as the most important maritime nation of its day. Bruegel's series of ships played an important role in the further development of this very specific genre in printed art.

Saint Anthony was a hermit, who dedicated his life to prayer and reflection. This undertaking was extensively and severely challenged by both tempting and terrifying visions. In the 16th century, the holy symbol stood for the fortitude displayed by true believers when resisting and facing life's trials and temptations. For Bruegel, this subject was the perfect opportunity to illustrate the most fantastical monsters, monstrosities and temptations. The public loved such ‘drollery'.

This print is the earliest-known example in which Pieter Bruegel is clearly inspired by the work of Hieronymus Bosch.

The fact that such prints were considered amusing is confirmed by the way they are described. In 1558, Martin Le Jeune, a Paris bookseller, received twelve copies of ‘Sainct Antoine drolerie’ from Christopher Plantin.

Scene of a clear winter's day showing the citizens of Antwerp enjoying skating, prick sledging or taking cautious steps on the frozen canals around the city walls. In the background stands the largest and most important city gate which, for centuries, was part of what was known as the Spanish walls (these were demolished in the second half of the 19th century).

In the second half of the 16th century, there was a significant rise in the number of winter scenes. This was due to climatological reasons, namely very low temperatures and winter precipitation during the so-called ‘Little Ice Age’.

Scene of a clear winter's day showing the citizens of Antwerp enjoying skating, prick sledging or taking cautious steps on the frozen canals around the city walls. In the background stands the largest and most important city gate which, for centuries, was part of what was known as the Spanish walls (these were demolished in the second half of the 19th century).

In the second half of the 16th century, there was a significant rise in the number of winter scenes. This was due to climatological reasons, namely very low temperatures and winter precipitation during the so-called ‘Little Ice Age’.

In 1567, Bruegel painted his version of this utopian paradise on earth, where all is plentiful and where people are able to eat and drink to their heart's content, without working and without effort. This engraving is copied from the painting. No publisher is mentioned, and it is presumed that this print was made and published after the death of Hieronymus Cock by Pieter Van der Heyden. Or perhaps it was the owner of the painting who ordered a print reproduction to be made.

People could only reach the Land of Cockaigne (the land of milk and honey) by eating their way through a mountain of rice pudding, seen to the left of the composition. In the centre, three people who have eaten their fill lie sleeping: a farmer, a scholar and a soldier, representing three social classes, and recognised by their attributes. In this work, Bruegel plays with the balance between humour in the theme and imagery, and the moralising undertone, namely that surrendering to laziness and greed leads to little benefit.

This print has two names. It was originally called Keisnijding (The Stone Operation), and later De heks van Mallegem (The Witch of Mallegem).

In this print, Bruegel mocks the ability to cheat and be cheated. In the fictive city of Mallegem (city of ‘mallen’ as the silly or the crazy), a large group of fools is gathered around a table on which a quack (for a fee) relieves patients of a stone in the head, as the potential cause of their madness.

The focus lies on the quack – Master Snottolf (Master Snotnose - in Old Dutch also the nickname for scum or a dirty slippery character) who proudly shows off the stone he has just ‘removed’. But look at his colleague sitting under the table with a basket full of stones, which he passes to the quack for the treatment.

On the left, an alchemist melts his last coin in a desperate attempt to find the philosopher's stone, which should enable him to make gold and precious metal. His wife reveals her empty purse, his children search for food without success. His assistant, wearing a fool's hat, inflames his crazy passion with bellows. In the background, we see how the family end up being taken into a home for the poor.

The scholar on the right of the composition seems to be the commentator of the scene and points to the word ALGHEMIST: which plays not only on the word alchemist but also ‘al-gemist’ and ‘alles-mist’ meaning already lost and missing everything.

In literature, this print is generally considered a satirical representation, with a negative image of alchemy, as the forerunner of chemistry.

From the set of Seven Virtues, 7 engravings following on from Bruegel's series of Seven Sins. All preliminary sketches have been preserved.

The Virtues are shown as female figures with attributes placed among all kinds of realistic scenes, carefully designed compositions in surroundings that every one of Bruegel's contemporaries would have recognised as his own, with buildings, clothing, objects, attributes that they could immediately identify from their day. In this way, justice is surrounded by scenes of jurisdiction, martyrdom and executions.

We see a joke wedding, performed by a group of street actors. A woman dressed in rags is pulled from the wedding tent by her brand-new ‘bridegroom’ to dance in celebration of this joyful event. Note the unusual musical accompaniment.

In fact, this print uniquely blends the illustration of a folk, carnivalesque tradition and a literary reference to ancient times. The ironic Latin caption ‘Mopsus marries Nisa, what may not we lovers hope for’, (the undertone of which implies that if this impossible wedding can be performed then literally anything is possible in love) refers to Virgil. This reference may have been added posthumously by the publisher Hieronymus Cock as a playful joke, which his rather educated audience would certainly have appreciated.

Engraving of the grisaille (painting in shades of grey) by Pieter Bruegel from 1564 showing Mary's deathbed, owned by the famous geographer and humanist Abraham Ortelius, as a good friend of Bruegel. After Bruegel's death, Ortelius instructed his friend Philips Galle to make an engraving of the painting. According to the caption, the print was specifically intended to share with his friends.

Philips Galle, the most important engraver and print publisher in Antwerp after the death of Hieronymus Cock, cleverly suggests the grisaille with the linear technique in the engraving. Note the nocturnal scene, which greatly dramatises and intensifies the presentation.