JAN BRUEGHEL THE ELDER, 1568 BRUSSELS – 1625 ANTWERP THE FESTIVAL OF SAINT GEORGE WITH DANCE OUTSIDE THE “IN DEN CROON” INN Oil on panel. 37 x 56 cm. The depiction of this high-quality work illustrates a typical Flemish festival. Many artists painted this popular subject of the so-called Festival of Saint George, including Pieter Brueghel the Younger (1564-1638) and David Teniers the Younger (1610-1690) or David Vinckboons (1576 -1629). Even before the creation of the painting on offer for sale here, Jan’s father Pieter Brueghel the Elder (1525/30-1569) painted the same subject, but with fewer figures. But unlike the artists that are usually mentioned it is the so-called Brueghel’s Macchia that is recognizable here, i.e. the obvious importance of clearly defined figures standing out from the overall picture. Furthermore, a more serious concept can also be observed. Typical for these festival depictions is the prominent red flag painted with the figure of Saint George, in whose honour the festival is celebrated, which is fluttering on the inn. This dominating colour motif also offered a compositional opportunity to employ respective red colour effects in the clothing of the figures. The younger son Jan Brueghel had already changed his colour palette in comparison to works by his father, which is obvious in the painting on offer for sale here too. Pale clothing colours, a brighter luminous red, but also the dense interweaving of the figures are typical for the style of this master. The overall impression shows a clear compositional structure: the vertical line, created by a tall tree and the church tower in the shadows behind it, is at the centre of the painting and clearly emphasized. This creates a natural division between scenes, separating the multi-figure, dancing party in front of the inn from the less crowded right half of the painting, in which elegantly dressed people are shown in conversation. The group on the right apparently includes a sovereign or ruler dressed in a hat and with split sleeves talking to an alderman or architect in a dark cloak, who is holding a large blueprint or map. A young man dressed in red is standing in between them and appears to be mediating between the two. Two women, one with a child and accompanied by a small dog, are also part of this group of noble figures. By contrast, the scene is completely different outside the inn with dancing and drinking folk. The liveliness of the groups is reflected in the large, fluttering flag. Next to it, a banner is hanging from a beam with the coat of arms of the inn: a crown on red background and, beneath it, the partially preserved inscription “det is in de kroon” (The Crown Inn), which can be more easily identified in the engraving. The tavern group also includes inventive genre details: people eating on a desk, mothers with children, a crowd outside the entrance of the inn, an old man relieving himself on the corner of the building and especially a dancing couple in the foreground, in which the dancer is trying to appear graceful despite its corpulence. The colourfulness is all the more effective, as the round dance is set against the brown background of the tavern and barn buildings. The artist has very deliberately placed the “driving force” of this merriness, i.e. the two musicians with bagpipe and lyre, in the bottom centre of the painting and accentuated their position by setting them apart from the groups on either side. As always in these May festival depictions, religious customs are also shown here, and as in all of these paintings by other painters, the procession is shown at a considerable distance in the background. Here, a disordered group of people is shown outside a church, however, largely shaded by the bluish atmospheric perspective which also stretches the tree clusters of the background. Two covered wagons in the middle ground set against paler buildings foreshadow the arrival of the revellers. It is worth noting that Jan Brueghel the Younger did not depict the customary brawling scenes, which are otherwise typical for similar subjects. This is also a typical feature of his oeuvre, apart from the creative humour that can be found in all the figures and details. The enclosed catalogue presents details, compares motifs and explores individual aspects such as the brushwork, i.e. the artist’s “handwriting” in comparison with his other confirmed works such as “Mountainous Landscape” with Huntsman held at the Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt (inv. no. 1258), but especially also a series of paintings held in private hands. (See literature by Ertz). Notes: The painting first appeared on the London art market and was, at the time, identified as a work by Pieter Brueghel the Younger. Experts have always praised its high quality, but also remarked that the brushwork and stylistic mannerisms of his father are still discernible. Furthermore, consideration was also given to painters such as Martin I van Cleve, Abel Grimmer, Jan Brueghel the Elder and Jan Brueghel the Younger. G. Marlier was the first to doubt the authorship of Pieter Brueghel as the creator of the painting. In his monograph from 1969, he assessed the painting as of high-quality and saw connections with Martin van Cleve. This question of authorship, based on the subject, had still not been clearly answered in the Pieter Brueghel the Elder's catalogue raisonné, published almost 20 years later. Ultimately further research has now provided definitive clarity. The completely different understanding of composition and colouration rules out Martin van Cleve, who had been considered in earlier scientific discussions. Likewise, suggestions of other painters such as Pieter Brueghel the Elder could now be discarded. The exhibition catalogue from 2019 listed below, comprises a critical analysis by Jaco Rutgers of the painting style and clearly identifies the painting as a work by Jan Brueghel the Elder. Literature: S. Vézilier (ed), Fêtes et Kermesses au temps des Brueghel, Dans la peinture flamande des XVIe et XVIIe siècles, exhibition catalogue, Musée de Flandre, Cassel, 16 March - 14 July 2019. Therein: J. Rutgers, La Kermesse de la Saint-Georges avec des paysans devant l’auberge “In den Croon”, l’une des premières oeuvres anversoises de Jan I Brueghel, pp. 73f. Apollo, Art Magazine, column “œuvre du mois”, article about the present painting: La Kermesse de la Saint-Georges avec des paysans devant l'auberge “In den Croon”, May edition 1954. G. Marlier, Pierre Brueghel le Jeune, Brussels 1969. Compare: K. Ertz and Nitze Ertz, Jan Brueghel d. Ä. (1558-1625) Krit. Kat. Lingen 2008. Compare: M. Neumeister (ed.) et al, Brueghel. Gemälde von Jan Brueghel d. Ä., exhibition catalogue, Alte Pinakothek, Munich, 22 March - 16 June 2013. € 400.000 - € 600.000 Sistrix INFO | BIETEN 142 HAMPEL ONLINE Visit www.hampel-auctions.com for around 7.000 additional images.
