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Who were Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s major patrons?
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Pieter Bruegel, the Elder
Peasant Dance, oil on wood by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c. 1568; in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s success as a painter was supported by several notable patrons and collectors who recognized his talent. His primary patrons included:
- Niclaes Jonghelinck: A wealthy banker from Antwerp, he was Bruegel’s greatest patron. By 1566, he had acquired 16 of the artist's paintings. He also commissioned the celebrated Labours of the Months series, which includes the famous work Hunters in the Snow.12
- Antoine Perrenot, Cardinal de Granvelle: The president of the council of state in the Netherlands, he was among those who collected Bruegel's work.1
- Giulio Clovio: A celebrated miniaturist whom Bruegel worked with in Rome in 1553. The inventory of Clovio’s estate revealed that he owned several of Bruegel’s paintings and drawings, as well as a miniature created in collaboration by the two artists.1
- Abraham Ortelius: A noted figure who was a patron of the artist and famously described Bruegel as the most perfect artist of the century in an obituary.1
Additionally, the Habsburg princes demonstrated a keen interest in Bruegel’s art, which is reflected in the significant collection of his paintings held by the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.3