Kunsthistorischemuseum, 2022: The Breughels

The Kunsthistorischemuseum is one of the great museums and also one of our favorites, primarily for its northern collection and its unsurpassed collection of Breughels, Peter the Elder, that is. An entire hall of big canvasses. We visited in 2010 and again in 2012. I have reviewed those two posts and have decided not to knowingly repost anything in the following two posts that I posted in those earlier years. Except the Breughels, of course. Unusual restraint for me. We were in the museum from opening to nearly closing, 7+hours, and took 300+ pix. You'll have to look at those two previous posts for most of the assorted van Eycks, Cranachs, Durers, Rogier van der Weidens, Rubens, Rembrandts, Caravaggios, Vermeer, Velasquez, etc., we saw at the KHM on October 16th. Not to mention the half of the collection that is not paintings.

At the Louvre, this sign would be for the Gioconda; at the Prado,
Bosch (and not Velasquez!), the Rijksmuseum, Night Watch, etc.

The Suicide of Saul, 1562; many Breughels are basically landscapes
with a postage stamp-sized holy scene thrown in for whatever 
reasons; there's Saul on the left, falling on his sword (so to speak)

Massacre of the Innocents; possibly a copy by one of his talented
sons, e.g. Jr. or Jan, some of whom made a career of copying and
selling dad's popular masterpieces

Tower of Babel, 1563; a study of mid-16th century civil engineering

The Peasant and the Nest Robber, 1568; a rare sort of close-up

The Peasant Wedding, 1567; no divinities, saints, kings, queens,
princes nor princesses, generals, et al.; just normal people living
their normal lives in the mid 16th century

Peasant Dance, 1567; Peter the Elder is sometimes known as
"peasant Bruegel"

Children's Games, 1560; 230 children, 83 games

The Fight Between Carnival and Lent, 1559; another of his
"encyclopedic" works

Detail

Procession to Calvary, 1564; Jesus really is in there, somewhere

There, in the middle...

The Return of the Herd (Autumn), 1565; one of a seasonal
series

Hunters in the Snow, 1565; often said to be the first winter landscape
in European painting

Gloomy Day (Early Spring), 1565; panorama of seasonal activities
and events

The Conversion of Paul, 1567; he's in there, really...

There he is, in the middle, again

Winterland with Bird-Trap, 1564

Two walls of the four...there are elder Bruegels all over the world,
and a few of our favorites are elsewhere (just search Breughel or
Bruegel on this blog); the KHM collection is unsurpassed, however