Portrait of Pieter Breughel the Younger

Anthony Van Dyck

Summary

A reproduction produced by the Vasari Society of a drawing by Antony Van Dyck. The drawing shows a portrait of a man from the waist upwards. The man is turned towards the left to give a three-quarters view of his face. He is wearing contemporary dress with a ruff around his neck. His left hand is pointing loosely at the lower left corner while his right hand holds a piece of clothing in front of his chest. In the left background is a ledge and curtain, which suggests the man in standing in front of a window. Text from the accompanying booklet produced by the Vasari Society: "No. 17 ANTONY VAN DYCK (b. 1599; d. 1641) PORTRAIT OF PIETER BREUGHEL THE YOUNGER Collection of the Duke of Devonshire, Chatsworth (from the Collection of N. A. Flinck). Black chalk. 24.5 x 19.8 cm. (9 5/8 x 7 13/16 in.) Van Dyck's original study for the etching (Wibiral 2), which gives the composition in reverse. The chief differences to be noted in the plate consist in the omission of the column indicated in the background and of the hand across the chest. The somewhat heavy fall of the mantle across the shoulder in the drawing disappears, and the whole figure is turned more to the front, far more concentration and intensity of expression being given to the face. A. M. H."