Pieter Bruegel the elder - New Hollstein Dutch

Pieter Bruegel (c. 1525-30-1569) created only one print himself, The Rabbit Hunt, but by the time he made that single etching in 1560 he had produced numerous designs for engravings, which totalled around 70 by the end of his career. It was through the prints after his designs, published by Hieronymus Cock in Antwerp and etched and engraved by such artists as Jan and Lucas van Doetecum, Pieter van der Heyden, Frans Huys, and Philips Galle, that Bruegel's work became widely known throughout Europe in his own lifetime.

The prints after Bruegel were most significantly catalogued by René van Bastelaer in 1908, and by Louis Lebeer in 1969, and subsequent catalogues have generally followed one of those models.


This volume of The New Hollstein updates their contributions and those of more recent catalogues by means of a systematic examination of as many original impressions as possible. We have attempted to provide precise descriptions of the prints and their accompanying texts while eliminating some of the inaccuracies and omissions in previouspublications. Thus, new states have been identified while others that seem implausible have been removed. This catalogue also introduces a new feature to the traditional Hollstein format. Descriptions of such markings as ruling lines or the light tracings of earlier inscriptions that can identify an impression as an early one have been included whenever applicable. This new feature will enhance the usefulness of this volume for collectors, curators, dealers, and Bruegel enthusiasts of every description.

Compiled by Nadine M. Orenstein

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