Spring

published 1570

Pieter van der Heyden after Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Associated Names
Pieter van der Heyden

Artist, Netherlandish, active c. 1551/1572

Hieronymus Cock

Publisher, Netherlandish, 1518 - 1570

Pieter Bruegel the Elder

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

The image shows a detailed scene with a bird's-eye view. The horizon line is low, marked by a line of trees and buildings in the distance, where a castle-like structure and village elements are visible. The brushstrokes are finely detailed with intricate line work. The color palette is monochromatic with sepia tones. Several figures are tending to a large garden space, and beyond, domestic activities and pastoral scenes can be seen. In the background, buildings and trees create the sense of a thriving countryside extending towards the horizon.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Accession Number

    1946.21.201

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    New Hollstein, no. 29, State i/iii

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. (Pieter Bruegel, Nadine Orenstein author). Rotterdam: Sound & Vision Interactive, 1996-, no. 29, state i/iii.

Inscriptions

lower left, in image, in plate: Bruegel inuet.; lower right, in image, in plate: H. Cock. excud. 1570; lower right, in image, in plate: PAME [artist's monogram]; in lower margin, at left, in plate: Martius, Aprilis, Maius, sunt tempora ueris. (March, April, and May are the months of Spring.); in lower margin, in central cartouche, in plate: VER / Pueritie compar (Spring, similar to childhood); in lower margin, at right, in plate: Vere Venus gaudet florentibus aurea sertis. (In Spring golden Venus rejoices in garlands of blooming flowers.) [translation from Nadine Orenstein, ed., Pieter Bruegel the Elder: Drawings and Prints. Exhibition catalogue. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2001, p. 236.]

Wikidata ID

Q65081893

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