Netherlandish Proverbs
Sign in to saveAlso known as Flemish Proverbs, The Topsy Turvy World, Dutch proverbs, Netherlandish Proverbs (The Blue Cloak), The Blue Cloak
painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Gemäldegalerie Berlin
Key facts
- Artist
- Pieter Bruegel the Elder
- Medium
- Oil-on-panel
- Dimensions
- 117 cm × 163 cm (46 in × 64 in)
- Location
- Gemäldegalerie , Berlin
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Pieter Bruegel (der Ältere) (ca. 1525 - 1569) - Die niederländischen Sprichwörter - 1720 - Gemäldegalerie.jpg
- Height
- 117
- Width
- 163
Show 7 more facts
- Commons category
- Netherlandish Proverbs (Bruegel the Elder)
- inception
- 1559-00-00
- native label
- Nederlandse Spreekwoorden
- inventory number
- 1720
- catalog code
- 76
- title
- Netherlandish Proverbs (The Blue Cloak)
- depicts Iconclass notation
- 86
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~7 min read
Article
Netherlandish Proverbs (Dutch: Nederlandse Spreekwoorden; also called Flemish Proverbs, The Blue Cloak or The Topsy Turvy World) is a 1559 oil-on-oak-panel painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder that depicts a scene in which humans and, to a lesser extent, animals and objects, offer literal illustrations of Dutch-language proverbs and idioms.
Running themes in Bruegel's paintings that appear in Netherlandish Proverbs are the absurdity, wickedness and foolishness of humans. Its original title, The Blue Cloak or The Folly of the World, indicates that Bruegel's intent was not just to illustrate proverbs, but rather to catalogue human folly. Many of the people depicted show the characteristic blank features that Bruegel used to portray fools.