Pieter Brueghel d. J., 1564 Brüssel – 1637/38... Lot n° 296

BIRD FALES IN WINTER Oil on wood. 39 x 57.2 cm. Attached an expertise of Dr. Klaus Ertz, Lingen,March 18, 2019 The theme, already popular during the lifetime of the painter, was the occasion for several repetitions, although later paintings, mostly created after the death of the artist, do not have the high quality evident here. Shown is a snow-covered village landscape with an icy watercourse whose banks rise on both sides. The right row of houses moves down from a hill along the river, between them stands a Gothic church with a spire. On the frozen water surface several figures amusing themselves with ice games, in between children with bundles of brushwood. A main focus is the snow-covered hill on the right, with three bare trees, between which a bird trap in the form of an old door is set. A peg holds the door at an angle, and a rope tied to it, leading to a window hatch in the low building on the right, allows the door to fall as soon as enough birds are observed underneath. The painter, son of the famous Pieter B. the Elder, also became a pupil of Gillis van Coninxloo. In 1584/85 he is registered as a "Free Master" in the Guild of St. Luke in Antwerp. Of his seven pupils, Franz Snyders and Gonzales Coques are known. Along with the fair representations, this pictorial motif became one of the most frequently seen in connection with Pieter Brueghel the Younger. A painting of Pieter Brueghel the Elder, the Father, in the Brussels Museum, which has been controversial in research, is said to have provided the basis for the subject. Thus, some versions of the present work have entered prestigious public collections and museums: such as: Brussels, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, inv. no. 8724; In a private collection USA there is a preliminary drawing in pen and brown ink, wash on brown paper (20.6 x 32.3 cm.), on both sides with representation of the subject of the picture (Ertz/Nitze-Ertz 2008-10, vol. IV, add. 9/4 and add. 9/5, pp. 1638-1639. Other versions are owned by: 1. Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, inv. no. 722, signed and dated 1601. 2. Private collection Switzerland, signed and dated 1604 3. Private collection USA, signed and dated 1605 A.R. Literature: Klaus Ertz, Pieter Brueghel the Younger, Die Gemälde mit kritischem Oeuvrekatalog, Lingen, 2. vol., 2000 Klaus Ertz, in F: AK Essen/Vienna 1998, cat. 123, with color illustrations. Klaus Ertz 2000, vol. II, cat. 682, ft. 477, p. 609. Further: ft. 478, pp. 610-11. Further literature (selection): Wolfgang Stechow, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, New York. AK Brussels, Trente-trois tableaux de Pierre Brueghel le Jeune dans les collections privées Belges, Galerie Finck, 1969. Klaus Ertz, Christa Nitze-Ertz, Jan Brueghel the Elder, Die Gemälde mit kritischem Oevrekatalog, Vol. I-IV, Lingen 2009 - 10. Further literature in the attached expert opinion by Dr. Klaus Ertz, Lingen, March 18, 2019. With note: Own work by Pieter Brueghel the Younger, created in Antwerp in the first decade of the 17th century. (1300561) (11) Pieter Brueghel the Younger, 1564 Brussels - 1637/38 Antwerp BIRD TRAP IN WINTER Oil on panel. 39 x 57.2 cm. An expert's report by Dr Klaus Ertz, Lingen, 18 March 2019 is enclosed. A key focus is the snowy hill on the right, with three bare trees between which a bird trap is set in the shape of an old door. A post holds the door at an angle, a rope tied to it leads to a window hatch in the low building on the right and allows the door to fall once enough birds are observed underneath it. Literature: Klaus Ertz, Pieter Brueghel the Younger, Die Gemälde mit kritischem Oeuvrekatalog, 2 vols., Lingen 2000. Klaus Ertz, in: exhibition catalog, Essen/Vienna 1998, cat. 123, with color ill. Klaus Ertz, 2000, vol. II, cat 682, Ft. 477, p. 609. Further: Ft. 478, pp. 610-11. Further literature (selection): Wolfgang Stechow, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, New York. Trente-trois tableaux de Pieter Brueghel le Jeune dans les collections privées Belges, exhibition catalog, Brussels, Galerie Finck, 1969. Ertz Klaus, Christa Nitze-Ertz, Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568 - 1625), Die Gemälde mit kritischem Oeuvrekatalog, vol. I-IV, Lingen 2009-10. Further literature listed in the enclosed expert's report by Dr Klaus Ertz, Lingen, 18 March 2019, with note: Autograph work by Pieter Brueghel the Younger, created in Antwerp in the first decade of the 17th century.