Breughel, PETER

Breughel, PETER, the founder of a family of Dutch painters, was born in the village of Breughel, near Breda, in 1510 (or, as others say, 1530), and died at Brussels in 1569. After travelling through Italy and France, he fixed his residence at Antwerp, where he was elected to the Academy. He painted chiefly the pleasures of rustic life, which he transferred to his canvas with vivid colouring, and at times unnecessary coarseness. His son, PETER, distinguished by the strange title 'Hellish Breughel'—because he loved to paint scenes in which the leading characters were devils, hags, or robbers—was born about 1559, and died 1637.—JAN, brother of the preceding, usually called 'Velvet Breughel,' from his rich dress, was born in 1569, and died in 1625. He was chiefly a flower painter, but was also distinguished for his landscapes and for his minute finish of small figures. He painted several works in concert with Rubens, who supplied the chief figures.—Other members of the same family attained to some note, in most cases as painters of still-life. See monograph by Michel (Paris, 1892).