Artwork
A Village Festival, With a Theatrical Performance and a Procession in Honour of St Hubert and St Anthony
A Village Festival, With a Theatrical Performance and a Procession in Honour of St Hubert and St Anthony is an oil painting by Pieter Brueghel the Younger. It dates from 1632 and is held in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a village celebration that combines a theatrical performance with a religious procession honoring Saints Hubert and Anthony.
The painting depicts a village celebration that combines a theatrical performance with a religious procession honoring Saints Hubert and Anthony. The scene includes villagers, performers, and clergy participating in communal festivities, reflecting early‑17th‑century rural traditions and devotional practices. Symbolic elements such as the saints' attributes underscore the event's religious significance while the lively figures illustrate the festive atmosphere of the genre scene.
Technique & Style
Created in 1632, the work is executed in oil paint on a wooden panel support. The composition measures 118.1 cm in height and 158.4 cm in width. It is classified as a genre scene depicting a village festival, theatrical performance, and religious procession.
The surface bears the inscription "P.BREVGHEL.", identifying the creator as Pieter Brueghel the Younger. The painting illustrates a complex narrative filled with figures including men, women, and children engaged in various activities such as a play and a fête. The medium and scale allow for the detailed rendering of the crowded village setting and the specific events honoring St. Hubert and St. Anthony.
History & Provenance
Pieter Brueghel the Younger created this oil on panel painting in 1632, bearing the inscription "P.BREVGHEL." The work measures 118.1 by 158.4 cm. It entered the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum in 1927 as a gift from Harold, First Viscount Rothermere, where it is held under accession number 1192.
The painting is held by the Fitzwilliam Museum, where it forms part of the museum's collection of works by Pieter Brueghel the Younger. Its accession number is 1192, and it entered the collection in 1927 as a gift from Harold, First Viscount Rothermere. The panel measures 118.1 cm in height by 158.4 cm in width and bears the inscription "P.BREVGHEL." No exhibition history beyond its acquisition by the Fitzwilliam Museum is recorded in the available sources.
Overview
In 1632 Pieter Brueghel the Younger painted a bustling village celebration, rendered in oil on canvas. The composition captures a street filled with townspeople attending a theatrical performance and a procession honoring two saints, St. Hubert and St. Anthony. The scene combines everyday activity with religious festivity, offering a vivid snapshot of 17th‑century Flemish communal life.
Context
The piece belongs to a broader tradition of Flemish genre painting that celebrated communal rituals and everyday labor. By integrating a theatrical performance with a saintly procession, the artist reflects the era’s intertwining of secular entertainment and religious observance, a hallmark of 17th‑century civic identity.
Artist & collection
Artist
Pieter Brueghel the Younger ( BROY-gəl, also US: BROO-gəl; Dutch:; between 23 May and 10 October 1564 – between March and May 1638) was a Flemish painter known for numerous copies after his father Pieter Bruegel the…
