GEMÄLDE ALTER MEISTER 18. SEPTEMBER 2026

32 3018* PIETER BRUEGHEL the Younger (Brussels 1564–1638 Antwerp) The Swan Inn, circa 1626. Oil on panel. Signed lower right: P. BREVGHEL. On the reverse: mark of the panel maker Michiel Vriendt (active 1615–1637) and the brand marks of the City of Ant- werp and the Guild of Saint Luke. 44 × 62.8 cm. Provenance: - Jacques Hynderick de Ghelcke (1891–1975), circa 1905. - By inheritance into an important collection. - Auction Sotheby’s, London, 9 March 1983, lot 10. - European private collection. - Auction Sotheby‘s, London, 6 July 2022, lot 9. - Non-European collection. Literature: Klaus Ertz: Pieter Brueghel der Jüngere (1564–1637/38). Die Gemälde mit Kritischem Oeuvrekatalog, Lingen 1988/2000, Vol. II, pp. 845–6, no. E1182 (with a different il- lustration). Pieter Brueghel, the eldest son of Pieter Brueghel the Elder, is well known for disseminating his father’s pictorial the- mes. During the early 17th century, he extensively catered to the high demand in the Netherlands for such depictions. The scene shown here, however, is entirely original. Its use of large-scale figures is a departure from his usual compo- sitions, and invites the viewer directly into the scene. The spelling of the signature ‘BREVGHEL’ suggests a date after 1616, as the artist previously signed his works ‘BR- VEGHEL’. The earliest dated version of this tavern theme dates to 1625 (see Ertz, p. 845, no. E 1179); the version of- fered here was likely created shortly thereafter. The shape of the City of Antwerp’s brand marks on the reverse further confirms that the painting was produced between 1626 and 1637 (see Jørgen Wadum: ‘The Antwerp Brand on Pain- tings on Panels’, in: ‘Looking Through Paintings’, ed. Erma Hermens, vol. 11, pp. 179–198). The title ‘The Swan Inn’ (‘Wirtshaus zum Schwan’) derives from the latest dated version of this theme (1632), which features a wooden sign on the tavern bearing the inscripti- on ‘In de swaen’ (At the Swan) (see Ertz, p. 845, no. E 1181). The many narrative details of this composition offer a lively glimpse into village life in the early 17th century. The convi- vial activity outside the inn revolves around a plentiful sup- ply of beer, as the innkeeper replaces empty jugs with full ones. In the foreground, a man and a woman are being pul- led apart, yet continue to reach out towards one another. Whether it is their respective partners who are attempting to put an end to the encounter is left to the viewer’s ima- gination. The scene with the pig in the middle ground may even be seen as anticipating a similar motif in Pieter Brueghel the Younger’s ‘Allegory of Autumn’, which Koller had the privi- lege of auctioning in spring 2026 (ill. 1). As in the ‘Allegory of Autumn’, infrared reflectography has revealed striking underdrawings beneath the paint surface of the present work (ill. 2). These offer fascinating insight into both Pieter Brueghel the Younger’s creative process and his virtuoso technique. The painting is recorded in the RKD database, The Hague, as well as in their ‘Marks on Art’ database, as an autograph work by Pieter Brueghel the Younger. CHF 600 000/900 000 (€ 652 170/978 260) Abb. 2. Infrarotreflektographie mit Unterzeichnungen