Circle of Pieter Brueghel the Elder

Circle of PIETER BRUEGHEL THE OLD (Breda, 1526/1530-Brussels, 1569).
"Market."
Ink drawing on paper.
Measurements: 34 x 29 cm.

The author of this painting must have belonged to the circle of the master Pieter Brueghel the Elder. By theme and style it is very close to the founder of the important dynasty of Dutch painters, the Brueghel. We are in front of a market in the town square where passers-by swarm around the stalls while the cut-out facades of the houses can be seen in the background. The meticulous and expressive drawing characterizing the characters and their vivid behaviors is combined with the representation of the houses at different levels of depth.
With this drawing the author's intention was probably merely to pay homage to the shared joy of the villagers on their market days. The undeniable artistic quality is accompanied, in this type of painting, by a great anthropological value.