About the Artist

The second son of Pieter Brugel (the Elder), was nicknamed "Velvet" or "Flowers" because of the subjects he painted and the bright enamel paints he used. His first painting lessons were with his grandmother, Marie Bessemers, a talented miniaturist. He then went to study with Pieter Getkint, and finally with Gillis van Coninxloo in Antwerp. From 1589 to 1596 he was in Italy, Living in Naples, Rome and Milan. Upon his return to Antwerp he was accepted into the Guild of St. Luke. In 1609, archduke Albrecht of Austria, the governor of the Netherlands, appointed him as court painter. Bruegel was famous above all for his landscapes and his still life on flowers. After 1615 he worked with Peter Paul Rubens, who was a friend of the family. Among the artist's major works are The Battle or Arbela, 1602, Musee du Louvre, Paris; Still Life with Bouquet of Flowers, 1610, Alte Pinakothek, Munich and The Holy Family, Alte Pinakothek, Munich