Lot 1234 R α

Klaus Ertz is convinced that this small-scale landscape with a view of Prague Castle was painted in 1604, whilst Brueghel was employed at the court of Emperor Rudolph II. In this small depiction, the artist manages to capture millimetre-high flowers, shrubs and figures with lively but microscopically small brushstrokes. Before the yellowish-pink horizon, we see a row of trees and a mill picked out in soft white highlights.
The placement of the thick forest on the right edge of the work in the mid-ground accentuates the depth of the composition. The trees lead the viewer's gaze towards the far horizon as it gradually fades to blue. Alongside Jan Brueghel, Paul Bril and Hans Rottenhammer were also famed for their finely painted miniature landscapes.