ATTRIBUTED TO MARTEN VAN CLEVE I (ANTWERP 1524-1581)

Long regarded as one of the leading Flemish artists of his generation, Marten van Cleve’s interests lay primarily in depicting scenes from contemporary life, such as peasant weddings, brawls, dances and kermesses, subjects much indebted to the work of his contemporary Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Far from slavishly copying the artist, van Cleve devised his own subjects and compositions, the success of which in turn influenced the work of Bruegel’s son Pieter the Younger. Numerous details in this painting, particularly the characterisation of the faces, show striking stylistic affinities with the hand of Pieter Brueghel the Younger, highlighting the impact that van Cleve played on his early artistic development.