Prudence

published 1559

Philip Galle after Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Associated Names
Philip Galle

Artist, Netherlandish, 1537 - 1612

Hieronymus Cock

Publisher, Netherlandish, 1518 - 1570

Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Artist After, Netherlandish, c. 1525/1530 - 1569

This is a drawing of a detailed scene depicting various activities around a medieval village. The image is in the style of Pieter Bruegel the Elder. The image is rich in detail and is divided into several vignettes, each capturing different aspects of village life. In the foreground, there are figures engaged in activities such as barrel-making, pouring liquid, and organizing goods. Also featured is an elegantly dressed figure. In the center and to the right of the image, people are involved in agriculture and near a building. The background shows a river scene with a small boat, trees, and houses. The image depicts various textures and activities, giving it a dynamic quality.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed within plate mark): 21.9 x 29.3 cm (8 5/8 x 11 9/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.2114

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    New Hollstein, no. 313, State i/ii

  • Series Title

    The Seven Virtues

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(sale, C.G. Boerner, Leipzig, May 7-9, 1928, lot 264); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA (Lugt 1760b); gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1990

  • Eva/Ave: Woman in Renaissance and Baroque Prints, NGA, 1990, no. 150, repro.

Bibliography

1908

  • Bastelaer, Rene van. Les estampes de Peter Bruegel l'ancien. Brussels: G. van Oest et Cie, 1908.

1990

  • Russell 1990, cat.no.150.

1993

  • The New Hollstein Dutch & Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts, 1450-1700. (Philips Galle, Manfred Sellink and Marjolein Leesberg, authors). Rotterdam: Sound & Vision Interactive, 1996-, no. 313, state i/ii.

Inscriptions

lower left, in image, in plate: H. cock excu; lower center, in image, in plate: PRVDENTIA (Prudence); lower right, in cartouche, in plate: Bruegel Inuentor; lower margin, in plate: SI PRVDENS ESSE CVPIS, IN FVTVRVM PROSPECTVM IN OSTENDE, ET / QVAE POSSVNT CONTINGERE, ANIMO TVO CVNCTA PROPONE. (If you wish to be prudent, think always of the future and keep everything in the forefront of your mind.) [translation from Nadine Orenstein, ed., Pieter Bruegel the Elder: Drawings and Prints. Exhibition catalogue. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2001, p. 183.]

Wikidata ID

Q64962998

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