BRUEGHEL. - A family of Flemish painters, whose progenitor is Pieter the Elder, who had two sons, Pieter the Younger (called "of the Hells") and Jan the Elder (called "of the Velvets"); the latter was the father of Jan the Younger, from whom descended Jan Pieter, Abraham (called "the Neapolitan"), Philips, Ferdinand, and Jan Baptist.
PIETER THE ELDER, b. perhaps at Breda around 1525, d. at Brussels on 5 September 1569. A pupil of Pieter Coeck van Aelst, he absorbed the influence of the works of Hieronymus Bosch (v.); he became a master in 1551 and was active especially at Antwerp and, from 1563, at Brussels; he was in Rome in 1553.
He exercised the liveliest influence on Flemish art, whose best-known expressions, the so-called "genre" painting, depend essentially on his works, widely disseminated by the engravings that spread his fame. Among his paintings of religious subject the Adorations of the Magi in Brussels and London are especially notable; but his fame is chiefly entrusted to the series of the Months in the Vienna gallery and to the works in which his exceptional imagination manifests itself most freely, as in the landscapes (among them the Alpine ones, which document his journey to Italy) and in the popular scenes. The picture gallery of Naples preserves the allegory of the Blind, the Doria gallery in Rome the Port of Naples.
PIETER THE YOUNGER (b. at Brussels in 1564, d. at Antwerp in 1638) and JAN THE ELDER (b. at Brussels in 1568, d. at Antwerp in 1625), his sons, imitate and continue the style and compositions of their father, often preferring rather small formats both for paintings of religious subject (the "infernal" ones are very well known) and for representations of landscapes, flowers or peasant life. Pieter was a pupil of Gillis van Coninxloo. Jan, who was also a collaborator of Rubens, made a journey to Italy, staying in Rome from 1592 to 1594 and stopping in Milan in 1596.
JAN THE YOUNGER (b. in 1601, d. in 1678), son of Jan the Elder, still continues his father's manner, in ever more minute formats, and paints preferably still lifes (especially flowers), landscapes with animals, etc. The creative force of both weakens more and more, the works increasingly taking on a popularizing character and a monotonous imitation of their predecessors.
JAN PIETER (b. in 1628?), ABRAHAM (b. in 1631, d. around 1690) and JAN BAPTIST (b. in 1647, d. in 1719), working for a great part of their lives in Italy, continue to paint in the family tradition without adding new elements of importance. - See Pl. XI.
