Artist "Pieter Bruegel the Elder"

More about the Artist "Pieter Bruegel the Elder"

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (* c. 1525/1530 probably in Breda; † September 9, 1569 in Brussels), called de Drol "the Droll" or "Peasant Bruegel," was a painter of the Dutch Renaissance. He is popularly known for his depictions of peasant life in the 16th-century Duchy of Brabant (Netherlands and Flanders).

There are many different spellings for the name. On engravings after his works, in addition to Brueghel, Breugel and Breughel, one can find such spellings as Brügel, Brügl, Brögel and even Briegel, which record the actual or supposed pronunciation in German spelling.

The artist himself initially signed his works Brueghel, but then deliberately changed this spelling to Bruegel beginning in 1559; however, the reason for this is unknown. His two sons also used different spellings during their lives.

In art history, both forms of the name coexisted harmoniously, with most authors opting for the spelling without the "h". Beginning in the 20th century, the spelling with an "h" was used less and less frequently and is rarely encountered today. Most museums use the spelling Bruegel in their publications, which is meanwhile also given as the preferred spelling by the RKD - Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis.