Pieter Brueghel, a pupil of Pieter Coecke Van Aelst, became Master in the Antwerp Guild in 1551. He collaborated with Hieronymus Cock, the engraver and print merchant and travelled throughout Italy after visiting France (1552-1553). He settled in Brussels in 1563, where he died in 1569. One the geniuses of the 16th century, Brueghel was an independent artist with a powerful vision of nature. He painted vast landscapes with a sensitivity to the rhythm of the seasons, time of the day and atmospheric changes, framing religious scenes or the months. His talent for depicting popular types, and describing their attitudes, in groups was just as great. His works were extremely successful and widely copied, particularly by his studio and son, known as Pieter the Younger.
