Title

The Animals Entering Noah's Ark

Author

Bruegel, Jan (II) [attributed to]

Antwerp, 1601 - Antwerp, 1678

Typology

School

Century

Dimensions

Technique

Support

Observations

The Animals Entering Noah’s Ark, housed in the Lázaro Galdiano Museum in Madrid, is attributed to Jan Bruegel the Younger. It is a direct copy of original works by his father, Jan Bruegel the Elder, known as Bruegel "de Velours." Two of these originals are known: one, dated and signed in 1613, is held in a private collection and was exhibited at the Broad Gallery in London in 1979, while the other is in the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest (inv. 548). These works have been meticulously studied by experts such as Klaus Ertz, who classified them as masterpieces in his 1979 critical catalogue.

In Jan Bruegel the Elder’s original compositions, a horse, positioned at the center of the scene, is depicted frontally in a majestic pose. However, some variations, attributed to both father and son, shift this horse to the right. This difference remains minor, as the rest of the composition is nearly identical, demonstrating remarkable fidelity. The painting in the Lázaro Galdiano Museum follows this structure, slightly reducing the vegetation on the right but largely adhering to the originals.

For a long time, this work was attributed to Jan Bruegel the Elder and was even mistaken for a depiction of the Garden of Eden. Its quality has sparked divergent opinions among specialists, with some considering it almost equal to a version housed in the Prado Museum (inv. 1407). Other similar reproductions can be found in the Dessau Museum, the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore, and the Orléans Museum. According to Ertz, these versions may reflect a collaboration between father and son.

The painting features an incredible variety of terrestrial, marine, and aerial animals set in a lush landscape. The density of this fauna often overshadows the religious theme of the work, which depicts the gathering of species entering Noah’s Ark, based on the Genesis account (chapter 7, verses 1-3). This vibrant representation of the animal kingdom, created in the Antwerp workshops, showcases a pictorial mastery that enriched both art and zoological studies of the time. Certain elements of this fauna, such as the horse, appear in other works by Jan Bruegel the Elder and his collaborators, notably Rubens. This particular horse also features in equestrian portraits of Archduke Albert of Austria and other major paintings associated with the Habsburg court.

An archival photograph from 1951 (IPCE, Archivo Pando PAN-013068) confirms the presence of this canvas in the Lázaro Galdiano Museum. The painting is currently exhibited in Room 17 of the museum (November 2024).

Related links

Bibliography

• L. Arbeteta (ed.) (2003): Grandes maestros del museo Lázaro Galdiano, Fundación Pedro Barrié de la Maza, La Coruña, pp. 114-115.
• K. Ertz (1984): Jan Brueghel the Younger 1601-1678. The Paintings with Oeuvre Catalogue, Luca Verlag, Freren, p. 280.
• K. Ertz (1979): Jan Brueghel der Ältere (1568-1625). Die Gemälde mit kritischem Oeuvrekatalog, DuMont Buchverlag, Cologne.
• J. Camón Aznar (1973): Guía del Museo Lázaro Galdiano, Fundacion Lázaro Galdiano, Madrid, p. 104.

Locations

• Museo Lázaro Galdiano, Madrid (Spain) (Inventory number: 5562)