Pieter Bruegel and Philips Galle after Pieter Bruegel the Elder. The Seven Virtues, 1559-60

P l E T E R B R U E G E L

AND PHILIPS G A L L E AFTER PIETER BRUEGEL THE ELDER

64-77. The Seven Virtues, 1559—60

Seven drawings and seven engravings

L I T E R A T U R E F O R T H E E N T I R E S E R I E S: V a n G e l d e r a n d Borms 1939; Barnouw 1947, pp. 24-38; Hollstein 1949- , vol. 4 (Cock), nos. 243-49, vol. 9 (Van der Heyden), nos. 37-43;

Stridbeck 1956, pp. 126-70; Klein 1963, pp. 179-244; Brussels 1969, pp. 93-106; Zupnick 1969; Riggs 1971, pp. 97-98; Zupnick 1971; Zupnick 1972; Gibson 1977, pp. 58-64; Brussels 1980, pp. 91-96; Serebrennikov 1986; Tokyo 1989, pp. 136-43; Mielke 1996, nos. 4 5 - 5 1 .

T h e series o f V i r t u e s f r o m 1559, i n c o n t r a s t t o B r u e g e l ' s g r o u p o f S e v e n D e a d l y Sins (cat. nos. 42—54), w h i c h are e x e c u t e d i n t h e style o f H i e r o n y m u s Bosch's p h a n t a s m a g o­ rias, is characterized b y historically accurate detail. T h u s , t h e e n g r a v i n g s h o w i n g Spes ( H o p e ) presents a F l e m i s h p o r t city t h r e a t e n e d b y h i g h water. P l a c e d i n the center o f t h e c o m p o s i t i o n s , t h e p e r s o n i f i c a t i o n o f t h e virtue wears a headdress that is a b e e h i v e a n d balances o n an anchor, b r a n d i s h i n g a sickle a n d a rudder, her attributes. T h e i m a g e d e v e l o p s a d i s t i n c t p a r a d o x . D y i n g o f thirst, the prisoners i n t h e u p p e r l e f t h a v e l o w e r e d a p i t c h e r f r o m their w i n d o w i n t h e h o p e o f c a t c h i n g rainwater; m e a n w h i l e t h e sea has risen so m e n a c i n g l y that it appears a b o u t t o e n g u l f t h e entire city. I n t h e o n e instance w a t e r saves life, i n t h e sec­

o n d it brings d e a t h . O t h e r scenes in t h e series also present s i m i l a r c o n t r a d i c t i o n s .

Justitia (Justice), for e x a m p l e , is also based o n a p a r a d o x . T h e p e r s o n i f i c a t i o n appears w i t h her usual attributes, a b l i n d f o l d , a s w o r d , a n d scales, y e t all a r o u n d her p e o p l e are t o r t u r e d a n d killed. I t is as i f injustice rather t h a n j u s t i c e w e r e b e i n g addressed. T h e m a n stretched o n a rack i n the l e f t f o r e g r o u n d , especially, r e m i n d s us t h a t i n Bruegel's d a y it w a s c o m m o n j u d i c i a l p r o c e d u r e to extract c o n f e s s i o n s b y torture. A l t h o u g h various scholars have correctly n o t e d that t h e L a t i n i n s c r i p t i o n o n Justitia refers t o t h e necessity o f p u n i s h m e n t a n d h a v e e v e n cited legal treatises o f Bruegel's t i m e i n s u p p o r t o f their o p i n i o n t o the contrary, it s e e m s entirely plausible that this i m a g e is a p o i n t e d criticism o f c o n t e m p o r a r y legal practice. T h e w o r l d d e p i c t e d has b e e n r e d u c e d t o an e x e c u t i o n site. N o t h i n g b u t w h e e l s a n d g a l ­ l o w s appears o n the h o r i z o n , a n d in f r o n t o f t h e m w e see an o f f e n d e r b e i n g b u r n e d at t h e stake. B r u e g e l s h o w s us o n l y t h e accused a n d c o n d e m n e d ; there is n o sign o f a n y o n e

b e i n g f a v o r e d b y a d e c i s i o n o f J u s t i t i a or p r o t e c t e d b y her j u d g m e n t f r o m an u n j u s t w o r l d . Justitia's b l i n d f o l d m a y be

i n t e n d e d t o s y m b o l i z e equality before the law, b u t w e are t e m p t e d t o t h i n k that it prevents her f r o m seeing t h e a t r o c ­ ities c o m m i t t e d i n her n a m e . H e r d e t e r m i n e d i m p a r t i a l i t y has t u r n e d i n t o b l i n d n e s s .

F o r a f i n a l e x a m p l e o f Bruegel's ironic a p p r o a c h , l o o k at t h e Temperantia (Temperance). O n c e again a personification o f the virtue stands b e f o r e us in t h e center o f t h e picture w i t h her attributes, here a bridle, a c l o c k , a n d eyeglasses.

H e r right f o o t is resting o n the v a n e o f a w i n d m i l l . A r o u n d this central figure are various narrative g r o u p i n g s , s o m e representing the liberal arts. T w o a s t r o n o m e r s are t r y i n g to measure t h e E a r t h a n d t h e distance b e t w e e n E a r t h a n d the m o o n . H o w e v e r , t h e y are t h w a r t e d because the p l a n e t is t u r n i n g o n its o w n a x i s — i n d e e d , t h e a s t r o n o m e r s t a n d i n g o n E a r t h a n d r e a c h i n g t o w a r d t h e m o o n is close t o falling o w i n g to the rotation. I n this sheet Bruegel is declaring that e v e n t h o u g h t h e v i r t u e o f t e m p e r a n c e is the basis o f all the arts, n o n e o f t h e m a c k n o w l e d g e s its o w n l i m i t s . I t is i n t e r ­ esting to n o t e t h a t h e i n c l u d e d b o t h sculpture a n d p a i n t i n g a m o n g the g r o u p i n g o f t h e liberal arts. A t the left edge o f t h e c o m p o s i t i o n w e see a painter, f u r n i s h e d w i t h palette a n d m a u l s t i c k a n d seated i n f r o n t o f a large easel. W e are t o p e r c e i v e t h i s n o t o n l y as a s i g n o f t h e e l e v a t e d status B r u e g e l i m p l i c i t l y a c c o r d e d to p a i n t i n g b u t also as an i n d i ­ c a t i o n o f t h e h i g h m o r a l d e m a n d s t o w h i c h it is subjected.

I n t h e s e c o n d a r y literature it has b e e n suggested that the m e n w h o are d e b a t i n g at t h e right are either t h e o l o g i a n s or representatives o f different creeds. T h e object o f their debate w o u l d thus be t h e b o o k t o their right, w h i c h has t o b e t h e B i b l e .

I n his p r e s e n t a t i o n o f F i d e s ( F a i t h ) , B r u e g e l s h o w e d a series o f sacraments. I n careful detail h e d e p i c t e d b a p t i s m , c o n f e s s i o n , c o m m u n i o n , a n d marriage, b u t the s e r m o n , the instruction t o the faithful, is also g i v e n considerable a t t e n ­ t i o n . F i d e s herself is p o i n t i n g to the Scriptures, u p o n w h i c h t h e D o v e o f t h e H o l y G h o s t has settled. B r u e g e l e m p h a ­ s i z e d t h e b o o k a n d t h e d o v e b y p l a c i n g t h e m at t h e i n t e r ­ section o f d i a g o n a l s — l e a d i n g f r o m t h e l o w e r left t o the u p p e r right a n d f r o m the l o w e r r i g h t t o the u p p e r l e f t — that d r a w t h e viewer's a t t e n t i o n to these details. T h i s focus

177

Originalveröffentlichung in: Orenstein, Nadine M. (Hrsg.): Pieter Bruegel the Elder : drawings and prints, New Haven, Conn. 2001, S. 177-178

might suggest that Bruegel's message is that the Holy Ghost and the Scriptures inspired by him reveal to humanity the knowledge of G o d ; they alone give us a true understanding of his salvation through Christ and the sacraments it imposes. However, we can also conclude from the emphasis on the H o l y Ghost and the Scriptures that the artist was championing a spiritualist stance, one that values the read­

ing of the Bible more highly than observance of the sacra­

ments. In my view no definitive interpretation is possible.

In the allegory o f Caritas (Charity) the focus is on c o m ­ passionate works and active love for our fellow creatures, for perched atop the personification's head is the pelican, said to open its own breast to feed its offspring. T h e depic­

tion of Prudentia (Prudence), here understood as judicious foresight, shows people preparing lor the future in various ways. In the Fortitudo (Fortitude) men and women battle sins represented by the animals familiar from Bruegel's Seven Deadly Sins series. T h e engraving's inscription defines true strength as the ability to overcome our own weakness.

178

Bruegel's Virtues as well as his Seven Deadly Sins are more analytical than designs that treat these subjects by his contemporaries. His images not only tell us that we should emulate virtue and abhor vice, they also attempt to show

us why.