Who painted Vier Sprichwörter. Der zwischen zwei Stühlen Sitzende?

Vier Sprichwörter. Der zwischen zwei Stühlen Sitzende was painted by Pieter Brueghel the Younger in 1598.

Where can I see Vier Sprichwörter. Der zwischen zwei Stühlen Sitzende?

Vier Sprichwörter. Der zwischen zwei Stühlen Sitzende is held by Kunsthaus Zürich.

What movement is Vier Sprichwörter. Der zwischen zwei Stühlen Sitzende?

Vier Sprichwörter. Der zwischen zwei Stühlen Sitzende is associated with Flemish Baroque painting.

Artwork

Vier Sprichwörter. Der zwischen zwei Stühlen Sitzende

Pieter Brueghel the Younger , 1598

Vier Sprichwörter. Der zwischen zwei Stühlen Sitzende is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Pieter Brueghel the Younger. It dates from 1598 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1598 by the Flemish painter Pieter Brueghel the Younger, this oil on canvas work forms part of the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich. It belongs to the late‑Renaissance Flemish Baroque tradition and illustrates a series of popular proverbs, the central one showing a man perched between two chairs.

Subject & Meaning

The composition focuses on a solitary figure dressed in green trousers, a blue vest and a grey overcoat, seated on a high‑backed wooden chair. His head is thrown back and his mouth is open, suggesting a shout or a gasp of pain. The surrounding darkness and the glimpse of a grassy field through a left‑hand window heighten a sense of tension that underscores the proverb’s cautionary tone.

Technique & Style

Brueghel the Younger employs a restrained palette of muted blues, greens and earth tones, rendering the figure with precise brushwork that emphasizes the texture of fabric and wood. The chiaroscuro treatment creates a stark contrast between the illuminated foreground and the deep, shadowy background, a hallmark of Flemish Baroque visual drama.

History & Provenance

The artist, known for both reproducing his father’s compositions and generating original pieces, managed a workshop that produced roughly 1,400 paintings for domestic and export markets. This particular canvas entered the holdings of the Kunsthaus Zürich, where it remains on display as an example of the younger Brueghel’s prolific output and the period’s proverb‑painting genre.

Artist & collection

Artist

Pieter Brueghel the Younger

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…