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 busy scene with various activities depicted around a village or rural setting. The illustration showcases a variety of scenes typical of village life. In the foreground, several figures are engaged in different tasks such as carrying large bales, working with barrels, and preparing meat on tables. There is a sense of hustle with figures also involved in carrying and organizing goods. On the left, there is a group inside a structure processing liquids. In the background, there is a detailed depiction of a river with sailboats and a church visible at the horizon.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Accession Number

    1980.45.232

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    New Hollstein, no. 313, State i/ii

Artwork history & notes

Bibliography

1908

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

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

Q65579238

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