Jan Brueghel the Elder

Jan Brueghel the Elder was a member of a family of artists (notably his father and his brother). He is known as “the Elder” because his son, also named Jan, became a well-known painter. Brueghel (the Elder) was nicknamed the “Velvet Brueghel” because of his ability to paint fine details. He worked mostly in Antwerp, Belgium, which became a major port city and cultural hub during his lifetime. Jan chose a wide and varied range of subject matter for his pictures, including still lifes, landscapes, allegorical and mythological subjects, and religious scenes. He was a prominent member of the painters’ guild and a close friend and collaborator with Peter Paul Rubens.