Object number1973.2

Preparing the Flower Beds, from "The Seasons"

Datec. 1620

Artist Pieter Brueghel II (Flemish, c. 1564–c. 1638)

CultureFlemish

MediumOil on panel

DimensionsUnframed: 16 15/16 x 22 13/16 in. (43 x 58 cm)
Framed: 24 x 29 15/16 x 1 15/16 in. (61 x 76 x 5 cm)

Credit LineGift of Mrs. (Marjorie W.) Sherburne Prescott

On View

On view

Period16th c / 17th c

Classification(s)

Painting

Terms

genre pictures

SignedSigned (LL): P. BREVGHEL.

Markings

Catalogue raisonnéErtz, Vol. 2, p. 592, ng. E615ProvenanceSee ERTZ

Paris, Charpentier (Galleries?) Sale, May 12, 1948, no. 31.;
Victor Decock, Paris;
Paris, Gallieria, Sale June 15, 1962, no. 61;
Gallery Terry Engel (London?); Erich Mueller-Stinnes;
London, Sotheby’s Sale, July 6, 1966; Mrs. Sherburne Prescott;
VC Art Gallery, 1973

Vassar Exhibitions

Second Sight: Originality, Duplicity, and the Object

Exhibition HistoryNew York, New York, IBM Gallery of Science and Art, “Highlights from the Vassar College Collection,” July 13 - September 11, 1993;
Poughkeepsie, FLLAC, Vassar College, “Second Sight: Originality, Duplicity and the Object,” Jan. 14-Apr. 10, 2005.

Label TextIn this scene, men and women toil over flowerbeds, while in the distance others shear sheep and bleach linen in a field. Viewers in the early 1600s would have immediately associated these labors with springtime. The painting, which exists in multiple versions, belongs to a popular series representing the four seasons. While representations of times of the year had a long tradition in Flemish art going back to medieval books of hours, the immediate model can be found in the work of the artist’s father. A nearly identical composition appears in an engraving published in 1570 after a drawing by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. (His son did make some adaptations, however, including the dancing villagers at left.) Such borrowing was a common practice for Pieter the Younger, who found an avid market for portrayals of country life conceived a generation before.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email loebcollections@vassar.edu