Who painted The Wine of Saint Martin's Day?

The Wine of Saint Martin's Day was painted by Pieter Brueghel I in 1566.

Where can I see The Wine of Saint Martin's Day?

The Wine of Saint Martin's Day is held by Museo del Prado.

What movement is The Wine of Saint Martin's Day?

The Wine of Saint Martin's Day is associated with Northern Renaissance.

The Wine of Saint Martin's Day by Pieter Brueghel I (1566)

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The painting shows a peasant celebration of Saint Martin’s Day on 11 November, the occasion when the first wine of the season was tasted.

The painting shows a peasant celebration of Saint Martin’s Day on 11 November, the occasion when the first wine of the season was tasted. While the central crowd drinks and makes merry, a roadside cross stands nearby, ignored by the revellers, and a small group to the side enacts the legend of Saint Martin dividing his cloak to share it with a beggar. This relegation of a Christian narrative to the periphery mirrors Bruegel’s approach in works such as Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, emphasizing everyday life over religious doctrine. In the left background the Hallepoort of Brussels is visible, situating the festivity in a recognizable landscape.

Technique & Style

The painting was executed in tempera on linen, a technique known as glue-size on canvas, which was characteristic of Pieter Brueghel the Elder's later works. The support measures 148 cm in height by 270.5 cm in width, making it the largest surviving painting by the artist. The fragile medium contributed to poor conservation conditions, requiring restoration at the Museo del Prado in 2010, during which fragments of the artist's signature were revealed through X-ray analysis. The work depicts a St. Martin's Day festival involving the drinking of the season's first wine, rendered with attention to peasant customs and subtle Christian symbolism, such as a roadside cross and a group referencing the legend of St. Martin sharing his cloak. Formal stylistic qualities include a detailed, narrative composition typical of Northern Renaissance genre scenes, with a focus on everyday life and seasonal rituals.

History & Provenance

Created between 1565 and 1568, this tempera painting on linen was long considered lost until private Spanish owners brought it to the Museo del Prado for restoration in early 2010. During the conservation process, which began in February of that year, X-ray analysis revealed fragments of the artist's signature in the lower left corner, confirming Pieter Bruegel the Elder's authorship. The museum subsequently acquired the work for a sum below its open market value.

While the painting matches the description of a work inventoried in the collection of the Gonzaga dukes of Mantua in the early seventeenth century, scholars debate whether that record refers to this specific canvas or a related piece in Vienna. The earliest definitive documentation linking to the current work is an early eighteenth-century inventory of Luis Francisco de la Cerda, the ninth duke of Medinaceli, who likely obtained the piece in Italy around the end of the previous century.

The Wine of Saint Martin's Day is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid. The museum acquired the work in 2010 after private Spanish owners submitted it for restoration, during which X-ray analysis revealed fragments of the artist's signature. Prior to this identification, the painting was considered lost, and a fragment in Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum was mistakenly believed to be the original.

The earliest definitive documentary evidence for the specific canvas now in the Prado is an early eighteenth-century inventory of the collection of Luis Francisco de la Cerda, the ninth Duke of Medinaceli. While the work matches descriptions from the early seventeenth-century Gonzaga collection in Mantua, scholars debate whether that entry refers to this painting or a related work in Vienna.