Core Record |
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| Title | St John Preaching in the Wilderness | |
| Collection | Angus Council Cultural Services Division | |
| Artist | After Bruegel, Pieter, the elder (Flemish painter, ca. 1525-1569) Attributed to Brueghel, Pieter, the younger (Flemish artist, born 1564 or 1565, died 1637 or 1638) |
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| Date Earliest | possibly about 1585 | |
| Date Latest | possibly about 1638 | |
| Description | A crowd of people is gathering around St John preaching in a woodland setting. The bird's eye view allows the eye to roam over the crowd of different ethnic types. The majority are listening, but some are paying scant attention, for example a man who is getting his fortune told by a gypsy, possibly indicating his rejection of Calvinisim. The subject, perhaps inspired by the open-air sermons of the Reformed communities at the time, is not rare in Flemish painting. Here, the artist introduces a new feature: Christ is present. This is a copy of Brueghel the elder's composition at Budapest Museum of Fine Art. | |
| Current Accession Number | A.1978.27 | |
| Subject | religion (St John preaching in the wilderness) | |
| Measurements | 107 x 151 cm (estimate) | |
| Material | oil on panel | |
| Acquisition Details | Bequeathed by James Renny 1876. | |
| Publications | Grossmann, F., Brueghel, Pieter, The Complete Edition of the Paintings, London, 1973 (second edn), p. 200. | |
| Notes | Label attached to the frame: 'St. John Preaching in the Wilderness by Pieter Breughel Presented by James Renny Esq Edinburgh 28th August 1876 cleaned and restored 1968'. | |
| Rights Owner | Angus Council Cultural Services Division | |
| Author | Dr Claudia Heide | |