Four Paintings

Family of Jan Brueghel the Elder

The Family of Jan Brueghel the Elder

Meet the Brueghel family: Jan, Catharina, Elisabeth and Pieter.

What kind of people were the Brueghels?

Find out what type of lifestyle the Brueghels would have had.

A 'Public' Image

Find out how the portrait presents a 'public' image of the family.

Public Image, Private Lives

Explore how the portrait also contains references to a more private side of family life.

Personality Captured

How has Rubens captured the individual personalities of the Brueghel family?

How long did they have to sit for?

Find out how Rubens went about making the portrait.

What are they wearing?

The family is decked out in their Sunday best.

Catharina's dress

Find out about the individual garments that make up Catharina's dress.

Catharina's jewellery

Where else might you find a bracelet like that?

The Ruffs Revealed

How on earth do the ruffs and collars stand up like that?

Bringing the family to life

Explore how the brushwork creates a sense of real physical presence.

Rubens' own family portrait

And for something completely different...