Travelers at a Busy Ford before a Panoramic Landscape

Jan Brueghel the Elder · c. 1605

Jan Brueghel the Elder was the son of Pieter Bruegel the Elder and the father of Jan Breughel the Younger—all prolific and talented landscape painters, each with his own particular skill and legacy. Jan Brueghel the Elder earned the name “Velvet Brueghel” for adroitly painting rich and delicate textures. Here, the lush landscape is illuminated by a brilliant sun, and the trees, city, and hills in the background are a hazy blue, creating a sense of distance and depth within the scene. Conservation was generously funded by Larry Oakey