*Sacred Scripture* Paradise Before the Fall of Adam and Eve – Brueghel

About The Artist

Jan Bruegel the Elder (1568-1625) was the second son of Pieter Bruegel the Elder (ca. 1525-1569) and received his training from his maternal grandmother, Mayken Verhulst, and Pieter Goetkindt (died 1583) because of the early death of his father. In the 1590s, he travelled to Italy where he met his lifetime patron, Cardinal Federico Borromeo (1568-1631), archbishop of Milan and returned to Antwerp shortly before 1597, where he became a member of the Guild of St Luke. In 1606, Jan Bruegel the Elder became court painter to Archduke Albert and Archduchess Isabella, the regents in the southern Netherlands and travelled in Holland with friends Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), Heindrick van Balen (1575-1632) and visited Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617) in Haarlem. Among his pupils were his son, Jan Bruegel the Younger (1601-1678) who imitated his father’s work and Daniel Seghers (1590-1661).

This painting is a good example of Jan Bruegel the Elder’s landscape tradition that shows in colorful landscapes, a profusion of animals and figures including rich and varied vegetation. The highly detailed depiction of the animals and other figures witnesses his interest in nature and reveals his encyclopedic conception of the world. This composition was very popular and was extensively copied by Jan Bruegel the Elder’s himself but also by close followers among whom could be his own son, Jan Bruegel the Younger. The representation of paradise as a pictorial theme was extensively exploited by the artist who produced many versions of it.

About The Artist

Jan Brueghel (also Bruegel or Breughel) the Younger was a Flemish Baroque painter, and the son of Jan Brueghel the Elder.

Brueghel was born and died in the 17th century in Antwerp. He was trained by his father and spent his career producing works in a similar style. Along with his brother Ambrosius, he produced landscapes, allegorical scenes and other works of meticulous detail. Brueghel also copied works by his father and sold them with his father’s signature. His work is distinguishable from that of his parent by being less well executed and lighter.

Jan the Younger was traveling in Italy when his father died of cholera, and swiftly returned to take control of the Antwerp studio. After the death of his father he changed his signature from ‘Brueghel’ to ‘Breughel’. The next year in 1626 he married Anna-Maria Janssens, daughter of Abraham Janssens. He soon established himself and was made dean of the Guild of Saint Luke in 1630. That same year he was commissioned by the French court to paint Adam Cycle. In the following years, he also produced paintings for the Austrian court, and worked independently in Paris, before returning to Antwerp in 1657. He collaborated with a number of prominent artists including Rubens, Hendrick van Balen (1575–1632), Adriaen Stalbemt (1580–1682), Lucas Van Uden (1596–1672), his brother-in-law David Teniers the Younger (1610-1690) and his father-in-law Abraham Janssens.

The eyes of the Lord are on those who love him, a mighty shield and strong support, a shelter from scorching wind and a shade from noonday sun, a guard against stumbling and a help against falling.  

ECCLESIASTICUS 34:19, NRSV