Original Brueghel Found in French Home Heads to Auction

An auction location appraiser recovered a 17th-century coating by Pieter Brueghel the Younger down a doorway successful a bluish French home. “The Village Lawyer” (1615-1617) depicts peasants successful a greedy lawyer’s office, a country Brueghel painted dozens of times. The enactment has been authenticated and it’s heading to an auction successful Paris connected March 28.

The appraiser, Malo de Lussac, told Hyperallergic helium was “very surprised” erstwhile helium recovered the painting. The household who owned the enactment ever referred to it arsenic “the Brueghel,” but thought it was a copy. (The painting’s provenance earlier the household acquired it successful 1900 is unknown.)

“I instantly had a precise bully feeling astir this painting,” said de Lussac. “But I preferred to beryllium precise cautious astir its authentication.”

Stéphane Pinta, an adept astatine the Paris-based steadfast Cabinet Turquin, examined the coating with the assistance of a conservator astatine the Louvre. The squad aboriginal presented the enactment to Flemish Old Master specializer and Brueghel historiographer Klaus Ertz, who confirmed that it was real.

The enactment turned retired to beryllium not conscionable a Brueghel original but a uncommon enactment by the artist.

“It’s a immense painting,” de Lussac said. At implicit 3 and a fractional by six feet, it’s reportedly 1 of the largest of Brueghel the Younger’s known works and is besides successful “exceptionally bully condition.” Daguerre Val de Loire estimates that it volition merchantability for €600,000 to €800,000 (~$638,328–851,104).

Pieter Brueghel the Younger is the lad of the arguably better-known creator Pieter Bruegel the Elder, who painted masterpieces including “Hunters successful the Snow” (1565) and “The Harvesters” (1565) arsenic good arsenic satirical works specified arsenic “Netherlandish Proverbs” (1559). Bruegel the Elder was a starring fig successful the Northern Renaissance, but his lad made a sanction for himself arsenic well. While overmuch of Brueghel the Younger’s assemblage of enactment consists of well-executed replicas of his father’s paintings, the creator besides created archetypal compositions depicting the rowdiness and vulgarity (and excessive drunkenness) of 17th-century Flemish peasant beingness portion interrogating larger societal structures.

“The Village Lawyer” offers a premier illustration of the artist’s biting societal commentary. Brueghel has taken a much sympathetic attack to his peasant subjects and paints the money-hungry lawyer arsenic the wide villain. The well-dressed antheral wears a condescending facial look arsenic helium sits down his desk. According to de Lussac, the lawyer is collecting taxes from the village’s farmers. As the hopeless townspeople wait, the lawyer hides down what tin lone beryllium assumed to beryllium useless stacks of paperwork, virtually creating a obstruction betwixt himself and the poorer radical paying him.

“It’s a critique of the Spanish concern connected the Flemish land,” de Lussac said. He pointed retired that they lawyer has a “Habsburg face.” Characterized by a protruding jawline, the distinctive quality was repeatedly depicted successful portraits of Spanish royals.

Brueghel painted a astir identical mentation of “The Village Lawyer” that hangs astatine the Museum of Fine Arts Ghent successful Belgium, and different astir identical transcript is located astatine the Louvre successful Paris, but the depository thinks that enactment is simply a follower’s copy.

The recently discovered coating volition beryllium exhibited astatine Paris’s Hôtel Drouot from March 11 done March 17 earlier it hits the auction block.

Elaine Velie is simply a writer from New Hampshire surviving successful Brooklyn. She studied Art History and Russian astatine Middlebury College and is funny successful art's relation successful history, culture, and politics. More by Elaine Velie