Artwork

Pieter Brueghel de Oude. Nederlandse spreekwoorden Detail: Hij speelt op die kake

Pieter Brueghel de Oude. Nederlandse spreekwoorden Detail: Hij speelt op die kake is an unspecified painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Pieter Brueghel the Elder. It dates from 1559 and is held in the collection of the Catholic University of Leuven. This 1559 oil on panel painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder depicts a lively scene filled with people enacting old Dutch proverbs.

About this work

Overview

This 1559 oil on panel painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder depicts a lively scene filled with people enacting old Dutch proverbs. The work is characteristic of the Northern Renaissance style.

Subject & Meaning

The scene is crowded with figures performing absurd actions tied to idioms, such as a man balancing on a chair with a lute, illustrating the phrase 'to play the lute on one's backside'. Other characters engage in similarly ridiculous activities, like biting a pillar or holding a sieve underwater.

Technique & Style

Executed in oil on panel, the painting showcases Bruegel's skill in capturing a complex, detailed scene. The work's style is typical of the Northern Renaissance, with its emphasis on symbolism and everyday life.

History & Provenance

The painting is now housed at the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin in Germany. An image of the work was previously part of a glass slide collection used for art history instruction at the Université de Louvain between 1839 and 1939.