"The Massacre of the Innocents"

Price range: (> 50 000 zł)

The work in its style and subject matter draws on the work of great Dutch painters living and working in 16th century Holland. In terms of style, it is close to the work of Jacob Grimmer (1525/1526 - 1590), an outstanding painter who was associated with Antwerp all his life, where he became a master of the painting guild in 1547. The composition of the painting is modeled on one of the works of the most eminent Flemish painter Peter Brueghel the Elder (1525/1530 - 1569). In the years 1565-67 he painted a piece with the same title that is now in a museum in Vienna. The theme of the work taken from the New Testament from the gospel of St. Matthew was set in the reality of the Flemish village, which in its subtext refers to the historical events taking place in the Netherlands during the Reformation. The mood of the composition is intensified by the dramatic and sophisticated colors of the snow-white landscape juxtaposed with dark blocks of houses and outlines of human shapes. However, the drastic nature of the scene presented is pierced by the spiritual lyricism painted on the faces of several leading figures. Despite the fact that the painting does not have a signature in the painting layer, it could have been painted by an artist from the family of Peter Brueghel or one of the students of this eminent painting family. The dates placed on a plaque (1601-1678) suggest that it could have even been Peter Brueghel's grandson, the elder John Brueghel II. Unfortunately, this remains only a presumption. Painting in good condition with few paint losses. Professionally made wood plank in the form of a protective truss. Well-fitting frame with a plaque with inscription: "The Massacre of the Innocents Pieter Brueghel II 1601-1678"

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