Seven Virtues - Love Pieter Bruegel Buy Art Prints Now
from Amazon

* As an Amazon Associate, and partner with Google Adsense and Ezoic, I earn from qualifying purchases.


by
Tom Gurney BSc (Hons) is an art history expert with over 20 years experience
Published on June 19, 2020 / Updated on October 14, 2023
Email: [email protected] / Phone: +44 7429 011000

Pieter Bruegel the Elder produces a series of engravings which captured the Seven Virtues, with this piece devoted exclusively to love.

Several other drawings have also been uncovered that fit loosely with the exisiting seven and so there is some confusion over which items were specifically created in 1559 as a set, and which others are actually just single pieces which bear simiarities. Bruegel's style in each was of activity and celebration, typical of his work and also of daily life in the Netherlandish regions during this time.

In working long, hard days in the arable fields, they always made sure to celebrate their festival times in joyous celebration, often going somewhat overboard. There are, of course, elements of modern society which lack this sense of community and the idea of living this sort of simple life is still particularly appealing to many.

Artists depicting series of allegorical themes is nothing new, with some of the best examples including Lorenzo Ghiberti's North Doors that captured the key moments in the life of Jesus Christ. Hieronymus Bosch also famously put together the Seven Deadly Sins.