1601 – Antwerp – 1678


Jan Brueghel the Younger was the eldest son of Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568 – 1625), also known as Velvet Brueghel, and his first wife Isabella de Jode. After losing his mother at the age of two, he received his earliest training in his father's workshop. He then went to Italy, where he was supported by the Cardinal and Archbishop of Milan Federico Borromeo (1564 – 1631) in 1622, who was also his father's patron. Three years later, following his father's death, he returned to Antwerp to take over the management of the family workshop. At the same time, he joined the Guild of St. Luke and became dean in 1630. In 1626, he married Anna-Maria Janssens (c. 1605 – after 1668), daughter of the famous painter Abraham Janssens (c. 1575 – 1632).

Following his father's subjects and compositions, Jan the Younger adopted, copied, modified and renewed his models to suit the tastes of his contemporaries by substituting the prevailing Mannerism with a more realistic, simple and lighthearted approach. Owing to the affinity of his painting with that of Jan Brueghel the Elder, his works are sometimes confused with those of his father. Characterised by the use of a delicate palette and a succession of precise and rapid brushstrokes with full and deep contouring, his works charm the viewer through a diversity of subjects and a unique rendering.