Jan Brueghel the Elder A Magnificent Draughtsman Exhibition 5 October 2019 – 26 January 2020 Antwerp, Snijders&Rockox House www.snijdersrockoxhuis.be/en Anthony van Dyck Portrait of Jan Brueghel etching, ca. 1645 (Icones, Antwerp, Gillis Hendrickx, s.d.) Private Collection Jan Brueghel (Brussels, 1568–Antwerp, 1625) was the son of Pieter Bruegel the Elder. He was orphaned at a young age. His grandmother, Mayken Verhulst, a famous watercolourist, took charge of Jan’s education and that of his older brother Pieter. She also sent the boys to Antwerp for further instruction in oil painting. Jan left for Italy around 1588, where he was particularly fascinated by the cultural landscape. He drew various Roman ruins that shaped the appearance of Naples and Rome. After returning to Antwerp in 1596, Jan further perfected his skills in depicting the landscape, particularly of the flat variety. In both his drawings and paintings, he developed new ways of representing life outside the city. He started painting flowers around 1606. Jan became one of Antwerp’s most important artists alongside Rubens, like whom he had the honour of working as court painter on several occasions for Archduke Albert and the Infanta Isabella. The most talented of his children was Jan Brueghel the Younger, who took over his father’s studio following the latter’s death. Room 8 – 1 Jan Brueghel in Italy 1.1. Jan Brueghel the Elder Sailing Vessels in a Harbour, ca. 1590 Pen and brown ink Musée du Louvre, Département des Arts Graphiques, Paris, inv. 19.731. Photo RMN-Grand Palais / Thierry Ollivier Jan’s interest in seascapes and coastal views grew during his time in Italy. This drawing of a harbour appears to be the earliest of his coastal compositions. Although the port in question has not been identified, the buildings in the background suggest a larger town. Brueghel’s chief aim with this harbour view was to create a sense of atmosphere and suggest everyday life in the port. The realistic representation is innovative. The accurate depiction of the ships in the bay and the style in which they are drawn suggest that Jan was influenced here by his father, Pieter Bruegel. 1.2. Frans Huys (Antwerp 1522–1562) after Pieter Bruegel the Elder Warships at Anchor, ca. 1561–62 Engraving and etching Lower right: ‘FH. bruegel’, ‘Cum privileg’ Royal Library of Belgium, Print Room, Brussels, inv. SI 7582 Jan Brueghel drew here on the print series Sailing Vessels and the engraving Naval Battle in the Strait of Messina, which Frans Huys made after Pieter Bruegel the Elder, as well the study drawings (now lost) for those works. The engravings feature not only ships in full sail, but also several warships with cannons at anchor in a harbour. Huys’ prints are a veritable encyclopedia of the different types of sailing vessel, which are drawn on a large scale and viewed from different angles. Room 8 – 1 Jan Brueghel in Italy 1.3. Jan Brueghel the Elder View of Heidelberg from the North- west Across the Neckar, ca. 1588–89 Pen in brown ink, blue and brown washes, heightened with white The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, David T Schiff Gift and Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1995, inv. 1995.15 This is Jan Brueghel’s earliest known drawing. The view of Heidelberg with its castle – the former residence of the Electors Palatine – and the bridge over the Neckar river is noteworthy for its topographical accuracy. Castle and bridge both still stand today. The drawing dates from 1588–89, as the castle looks the way it did prior to its alteration in 1590. Jan probably travelled through Heidelberg on his way to Italy, after a possible stopover in Frankenthal, where the landscape painter Gillis van Coninxloo was working. The drawing has been done in watercolour – a technique Jan had learned from his grand- mother, Mayken Verhulst. 1.4. Jan Brueghel the Elder View of Rome with the Bridge and Castel Sant’Angelo, 1594 Pen and brown ink, brown and blue washes Dated by the artist: ‘Roma 13 november 1594’ Hessisches Landesmuseum, Darmstadt, inv. AE ‘397. Photo: Wolfgang Furmannek This drawing is a topographically accurate view from 1594. St Peter’s Basilica can be seen in the background. The lantern on the dome was not added until 1593. Jan made several copies in Rome of drawings by Matthijs Bril, but this composition and its technical execution demonstrate his own originality and approach to city vistas. St Peter’s and the Castel Sant’Angelo convey a grandeur and monumentality that contrast sharply with the calm surface of the River Tiber. The boat depicted lower left encourages the eye to follow an invisible diagonal to St Peter’s Basilica – an effective device for creating a sense of depth. Room 8 – 1 Jan Brueghel in Italy 1.5. Jan Brueghel the Elder The Arch of Septimius Severus in Rome, 1594 Pen and brown ink Signed and dated on the arch in pen and brown ink: ‘BRVEGHEL / 1594 S.P.Q.R.’ The Devonshire Collections, Chatsworth, repro- duced by permission of Chatsworth Settlement Trustees, inv. 846 1.6. Matthijs Bril (Antwerp 1550–1583 Rome) The Arch of Septimius Severus in Rome, before 1582 Pen and brown ink Paul Bril wrote on the back of the sheet in brown ink: ‘dit is een van die besste desenne die Ick van matijs mijn broeder nae het leeven hebbe’ [‘this is one of the best drawings from life that I own by my brother Matthijs’]. Musée du Louvre, Département des Arts Graphiques, Paris. Photo RMN-Grand Palais / Tony Querrec, inv. 20.955 Jan Brueghel was one of several artists who copied drawings of Roman ruins by the Antwerp landscape artist Matthijs Bril, which were left in the studio of his brother Paul Bril (1556–1626) following Matthijs’ death. Eleven such drawings have survived, of which the one shown here is the most important. Jan was familiar with the rich collection of drawings by Matthijs Bril, which he chiefly copied to supplement his own collection of city views and for use in other artworks, although this particular arch does not crop up in any of his paintings. Jan copied the Arch of Septimius Severus almost verbatim. His drawing looks lighter than that of Matthijs, who gave his architectural drawings heavier lines. Room 8 – 1 Jan Brueghel in Italy 1.7. Jan Brueghel the Elder View from Inside the Colosseum, ca. 1593–94 Pen and brown ink, brown wash Signed lower right: ‘BRVEGHEL’ Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett, inv. KdZ 26327 Jan Brueghel did not only copy Matthijs Bril’s antique city views, he also drew his own in situ. He captured the landmarks in a highly personal, almost painterly manner, fuelled by his own artistic vision of beauty. This detail of the Colosseum, bathed in bright sunlight, appears below a dark archway, emphasizing the ruin’s monumentality. The sense of grandeur is heightened by the small figure in the foreground. Details like a patch of vegetation and the stones scattered at random along the path make this a naturalistic scene that contrasts with the idealized landscapes of his predecessors. 1.8. Jan Brueghel the Elder Landscape with the Ruins of an Ancient Crypt on the Via Appia, 1593 Pen and brown ink Dated by the artist: ‘1593 12 decembr(e)’ Fondation Custodia, Collection Frits Lugt, Paris, inv. 5786 The loose brushwork creates the impression that this drawing was done from life. Yet monumental tombs were not usually constructed in the middle of nature, miles from anywhere. The one in the drawing is associated with the tomb of Priscilla on the Via Appia, while the landscape in the background recalls the hills beyond Tivoli, where there are no monuments like this. Jan probably saw it while out walking and then incorporated the tomb in an imaginary landscape after returning to his studio. Room 8 – 1 Jan Brueghel in Italy 1.9. Jan Brueghel the Elder The Temple of Vesta in Tivoli, 1593 Pen and brown ink Annotated by the artist: ‘Templum de Sibilla Tiburtina 6 iuli 1593’ Fondation Custodia, Collection Frits Lugt, Paris, inv. 6599 Although it is not visible in Brueghel’s drawing, the Temple of Vesta stands on top of a hill overlooking Tivoli, with the impressive waterfalls below. Tivoli – known as Tibur at the time – is just over 30 kilometres from Rome and was a popular subject for artists. The temple was associated with the Tiburtine Sibyl in Brueghel’s day and was built in the 1st century BCE. Only ten of the original 18 Corinthian columns are still standing today, as is also the case in Jan’s drawing. The temple was drawn from close up, which was unusual in that period. Jan reused the motif in his own paintings. Room 8 – 1 Jan Brueghel in Italy 1.10. Jan Brueghel the Elder Aniene Waterfall in Tivoli, ca. 1593 Pen and brown ink, blue, brown, grey, yellow and green watercolour, heightened with graphite and white University Libraries, Leiden, inv. PK-T-AW 1240 Jan Brueghel visited Tivoli in 1593. He was drawn by the antique ruins and the distinctive landscapes around the Aniene waterfall. Rather than tangible natural details, Jan’s drawing emphasises the special atmosphere created by the cascading water. The waterfall envelops its surroundings in a curtain of vapour, the misty effect of which encloses the left side of the landscape in a haze. No other drawing captures the magical mood evoked by the combi- nation of spray, sun and misty air as effectively as this one. 1.11. Cornelis Cort (Hoorn/Edam 1533–1578 Rome) after Girolamo Muziano (Acquafredda 1532–1592 Rome) St Francis Receiving the Stigmata, 1567 Engraving In de cartouche below: ‘D.