(Brussels 1564–1637/38 Antwerp)
The Farmer Fills in the Well after the Calf has Fallen In (from the Proverbs series),
oil on panel, 17 cm diameter, framed

On the reverse a red wax seal with princely coat of arms.

Provenance:
European private collection

A detailed certificate of this painting by Dr. Klaus Ertz (2008) is available. He writes: “The state of preservation of this picture can be designated as good. Minor losses in the upper right do not detract at all from the good overall impression. The painting has been cleaned and has a fresh, bright appearance. Technical and scientific research at the Labor Perrault, Paris, shows that the painting was certainly executed in the early 17th century...“ Ertz compares the present painting with further works by Pieter Brueghel II on the same subject ;1. Auction Graupe, Berlin, 20.10.1936, lot 10a, prior to 1616 (K. Ertz, Pieter Brueghel der Jüngere, Lingen 2000, p. 202, cat. no. E 81); 2. Auction Christie’s, New York, 22.06.1998, lot 7, after 1616 (K. Ertz, op. cit., p. 202, cat. no. E 82); 3. Collection of Graf von Schönborn-Wiesentheid, Schloss Pommersfelden, after 1616 (K. Ertz, op. cit., p. 202, cat. no. E 83).

Models for this painting were the representations of the proverbs by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, such as The Netherlandish Proverbs (1559) in the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, or the Twelve Proverbs in the Museum Mayer van den Bergh in Antwerp.
Ertz continues: “Pieter Brueghel the Younger’s characteristic style is also evident in this painting, in the extreme painterly perfection, the signature brushstrokes which trace each and every single detail in clear, sharp outlines, and the artist’s typically mask-like face of the farmer, his movement appearing frozen. He is also varying his paintings on the same theme here, e.g. in the different head coverings of the farmer or even in the legs, with only two of his depictions showing both the man’s legs. Pieter Brueghel the Younger’s own fine brushstrokes, the white highlights added as the final touch to the painting (here seen particularly clearly in the leaves on the trees), and the three-dimensional form of the landscape with its graphic precision, all these typical details are visible in the painting being certified here. And with small, rather unimposing paintings such as the proverbs, which collectively were so important for the development of Flemish art, Pieter the Younger was continuing in a great tradition. The significance of Pieter Brueghel the Younger lies principally in his promulgating the work of his father; he broadened and varied his subject matter by elaborating on the so-called Brueghel style, and preserving it in his paintings.
At the same time he was satisfying the huge demand for Brueghel works. His work focuses on the question of the nature of mankind. Where the father’s answers are often moralising and instructive, those of the son are generally more tolerant and humane. In contrast to his brother, Jan Brueghel the Elder, he never travelled to Italy. We know of no painting by him which takes mythological or allegorical subjects as their motif. He addressed himself to his neighbours, rather than a distant theotechny. His eye rests on his immediate surroundings.” The present painting probably originated in Antwerp after 1616.