The Wedding Dance
“Bruegel's lively painting is certainly a celebratory scene, but it may also carry moralizing overtones warning against drinking, dancing, and lust. ”
Graham W. J. Beal, Director, President and CEO
- Date
- c. 1566
- Medium
- Oil on panel
- Dimensions
-
47 x 62 in. (119.4 x 157.5 cm)
Framed: 57 1/4 x 72 x 3 1/2 in. ( 145.4 x 182.9 x 8.9 cm)
- Department
- European Painting
- Classification
- Paintings
- Credit
- City of Detroit Purchase
- Accession No.
- 30.374
- Provenance
- England, Private Collection;
London, Arthur J. Sulley (dealer).
- Keywords
-
oil, paint, panel, wood, genre
Published References
EXHIBITIONS
Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, "Century of Progress Exhibition," 1933, no. 34 (cat. compiled by D. C. Rich, et al.).
Brussels, "Cinq Siècles d'Art," 1935, vol. I, p. 66 no. 137, (cat. compiled by Mme. la Baronne Albert Houtart and Mme. Feron-Fontaine)
New York, New York World's Fair, "Masterpieces of Art" 1939, cat. 25 (cat. by W. R. Valentiner & G. McCall)
San Francisco, "Golden Gate International Exposition" 1940, cat. 129, repr. (cat. by F. Robinson).
Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, "Art of the United Nations," 1944-1945, p. 11, repr..
-------
OTHER BIBLIOGRAPHY
Valentiner, W.R. "The Wedding Dance by Pieter Bruegel the Elder," ¦Bulletin of The Detroit Institute of Arts,¦ vol. 12, no. 2, 1930, pp. 16-19, repr.
"Valentiner buys Fine Brueghel", ¦The Art News,¦ vol. 28, no. 39, August 16, 1930, pp. 3, 20. [painting illustrated in ibidem, vol. 28, no. 40, Sept. 13, 1930, p. 5].
Heil, W., ¦Catalogue of Paintings in the Permanent Collection of The Detroit Institute of Arts,¦ Detroit, 1930, cat. cat. 22, repr.
Valentiner, W. R., "Pieter Bruegel A Painter of the People, and Antonio Moro, a Painter of the Court, Part One" ¦Art in America,¦ vol. 19, no. 3, (April, 1931) p. 120; vol. 19 no. 4, (June, 1931) p. 162 (incorrectly dated)
Glück, G. ¦Bruegels Gemälde¦, Vienna: 1932, 2nd. ed., no. 24.
W.K. ¦Le Matin¦ Antwerp, August 22, 1935.
Tolnay, C. de, ¦Pierre Bruegel l'ancien¦, Brussels, 1935, pp. 92-93, no. 40, pl. 149.
Delacre, M. "Brueghel and not Brueghel", ¦Burlington Magazine¦, vol. 69, Sept., 1936, pp. 99-111, repr.
Richardson, E. P., DIA, ¦Flemish Painting of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries,¦ Detroit, 1936 (unpaginated),, fig. 15.
Friedländer, M. J. ¦Altniederländische Malerei¦, vol.14, 1937, Leiden, pp. 30-31, 61, no. 34, pl. XXXII.
Jedlicka, G. ¦Pieter Bruegel, der Maler in Seiner Zeit,¦ Erlenbach-Zurich, 1938, p 539.
Tietze, H., ed. Masterpieces of European Paintings in America , New York, 1939, p. 147.
(checked 2-99)
Richardson, E.P. (ed.), Detroit, DIA,¦Catalogue of Paintings¦ 1944, p. 18, no. 22.
Vanbeselare, W. ¦Peter Bruegel en het Nederlandsche Maniërisme,¦ Tield: 1944, p. 99.
St. Louis, City Art Museum, "Fortieth Annual Exhibition of Forty Masterpieces" 1947, p. 19, cat. 2.
Elst, J. van der, ¦The Last Flowering of the Middle Ages¦, Garden City, N.Y., p. 114, pl. 7 (French ed., ¦L'Age d'or flamand¦, Paris, 1951, pp. 208, 220-221, repr.).
Rasmusen, H. N. ¦Art Structure (A Text Book of Creative Design)¦ New York: 1950, pp. 74-79, repr.
"Wedding Dance by Pieter Brueghel," ¦Time¦ vol. 58, Nov. 26, 1951
"Letters About Wedding Dance by Pieter Bruegel," ¦Time¦ vol. 58, Dec. 17, 1951.
Detroit, The City Beautiful, 1951, p 51.
THE WORLD OF PIETER BRUEGEL, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1952, pl 16, 17, 24 (details).
Denis, V., ¦Tutta la pittura di Pieter Bruegel¦, Milan, 1952, pp. 23, 34, pls. 106-109).
Chase, A. E., FAMOUS PAINTINGS, New York, 1951, p. 92, repr.
Glück, G. trans. M. Kay ¦The Large Bruegel Book,¦ 5th ed. Vienna: 1953, pp. 74ff., no.31.
Genaille, R. ¦Bruegel L'Ancien¦ Paris: 1953, pp. 46, 94, pl. 102.
Stechow, W. ¦Bruegel¦ New York: 1954, pl. 10. (Abrams Portfolio, n. p.)
Stridbeck, C.G. ¦Bruegelstudien, Untersuchungen zu den ikonologischen Problemen bei Pieter Bruegel die Altere, sowie dessen Bezeihungen zum niederländischen Romanismus,¦ Stockholm: 1956, pp. 218-220.
Raleigh, North Carolina Museum of Art, "Masterpieces of Art," (exhibition in memory of W.R. Valentiner) 1959, Suppl. no. L, p. 282, cat. 1, repr. (cat. by J. B. Byrnes et al).
Moore, L., THE FIRST BOOK OF PAINTINGS, New York: Franklin Watts, 1960, pp 54-55.
Wilenski, R. H., ¦Flemish Painters 1430-1830¦, 2 vovls, New York-London, 1960, p. 543 (as "Detroit Wedding Dance Painter").
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, "PIETER BRUEGEL THE ELDER EXHIBITION OF PRINTS AND DRAWINGS," 1961, no. 79 repr.,(engraving after).
Denis, V., ALL THE PAINTINGS OF PIETER BRUEGEL, New York: Hawthrone Books, 1961, pp. 23, 36, pls. 106-109, repr.
Wilenski, R. H., FLEMISH PAINTERS, New York, 1960, no. 404, repr.
Robb, D., ART IN THE WESTERN WORLD, New York, 1963, p. 529, fig. 453.
DeMille, A., THE BOOK OF THE DANCE, New York, 1963, p. 46.
Meijer, E.R. ¦Pieter Bruegel¦ New York, 1962, pl. 13.
Puyvelde, L. van, ¦La Peinture Flamande au siècle de Bosch et Breughel¦ Paris-Brussels: 1962, p. 126.
Robb, D. ¦Art in the Western World,¦ New York: 1963, p. 528, repr.
Scheyer, E. "The Wedding Dance by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in The Detroit Institute of Arts: Its Relations and Derivations" ¦The Art Quarterly¦ vol. 28, 1965, pp. 167-193, repr.
Grossman, F., ¦Peter Bruegel, Complete Edition of the Paintings¦ 2nd ed., London, 1966, p. 200ff, pl. 121 (3rd ed., rev., 1973, pp 199-200, pls. 125, 134).
Myers, B. S., ed., ART AND CIVILIZATION, London, p. 268, no. 439.
Bianconi, P. ¦The Complete Paintings of Bruegel,¦ New York: 1967, no 41.
Cuttler, C. D., NORTHERN PAINTING FROM PUCELLE TO BRUEGEL 14th, 15th and 16th CENTURIES, New York, 1968, pp. 481-82, repr.
LEGEND, London: Evan Brothers, Ltd., 1968, p. 9. repr.
Kay, M., BRUEGEL: THE COLOR LIBRARY OF ART, Middlesex, 1969, p. 38 (ill, cover as "Wedding Dance in Open Air").
Brussels, Royal Museum of Fine Arts, "BRUEGEL THE PAINTER AND HIS WORLD" 1969, cat. 34, p, 76, repr. (cat. by P. Roberts-Jones et al)
Claessens, B., and Rousseau, J., ¦OUR BRUEGEL¦ Antwerp, 1969, p. 196, pl. 37 (color) as "The Dance of the Bride."
EXPLORING MUSIC, New York, 1969, p. 33, repr.
Stechow, W., PIETER BRUEGEL THE ELDER, New York, 1969, pp. 116-119, pls. 33, 34.
Marijnissen, R.H. ¦Bruegel the Elder¦ Brussels: 1969, p. 113, no. 137
Robert-Jones, P. trans. C. Mogford, ¦Breugel, the Painter and His World¦ Brussels: 1969, no. 34.
Myers, B. S., ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF PAINTING, New York, 1970, p. 60, repr.
DIA Handbook, 1971, p. 95.
Alpers, S., "Bruegel's Festive Peasants", ¦Simiolus¦, vol. 6, 1972-1973, pp. 163-176, 314.
Grossman, F., (NEW) ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA, 15th ed., 1974, 3: 340 repr., as "The Wedding Dance in Open Air 1566."
Poli, F. de, and Baccheschi, E., BRUEGEL, pl. 78-79, as "Danza nuziale all'aperto."
Friedländer, M. J., ¦Early Netherlandish Painting¦, Leiden, 1976, p. 45, no. 34, pl. 42 (comments & notes by H. Pauwels).
Heinz-Mohr, G., "Das Leben - ein Kinderspiel," DU, DIE KUNSTZEITSCHRIFT, vol. 10, 1983, pp. 44-45, repr.
Failing, Patricia. ¦Best-Loved Art from America Museums,¦ New York, 1983, pp. 16-17, repr.
Tokyo, Chuokoron-Sha Inc., "Les Grands Maitres de la Peinture; Bruegel" 1984, p. 37, pl. 99 (cat. entry by Abe, K., Mori, Y.)
Horowitz, F. ¦More Than You See:A Guide to Art,¦ New York, 1985, pp. 42, 45, nos. 5-17.
¦100 MASTERWORKS FROM THE DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS,¦ New York, 1985, pp. 100-101, repr.
THE WAYS OF THE WORLD, The Great Artist Series, Part 22, vol. 2, London, 1985, p. 680, repr.
Snyder, J., NORTHERN RENAISSANCE ART, New York, 1985, pp. 497-498, pl. 562.
Collobio Ragghianti, L., "Per Bruegel", ¦Critica d'Arte¦, vol. 53, no. 18, 1988, pp. 50-53, fig. 3.
Fiero, Gloria K., ¦The Humanistic Tradition,¦ 2nd ed., ¦On the Threshold of Modernity: The Renaissance and the Reformation¦. Madison, WI., 1992, p. 85, fig. 18.13.
Bauman, G. C., and Liedtke, W., ¦Flemish Paintings in America,¦ Antwerp, 1992, pp. 138-140, cat. 40, repr. (entry by H. J. van Miegroet).
Sullivan, Margaret A., Bruegel's Peasants-Art and Audience in the Northern Renaissance, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1994, pp. 48, 49, 108, repr., fig. 38.
Alpers, Svetlana. ¦The Making of Rubens,¦ New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995, pp. 7, 25, 31-2, 45, 49, 55-58, pl. 3.
Westermann, Mariët, ¦The Amusements of Jan Steen Comic Painting in the Seventeenth Century,¦ Zwolle, Waanders (n.d. 1998), p. 196, pl. 96.
Fahy, E. "How the Pictures Got Here," in From Van Eyck to Bruegel: Early Netherlandish Painting in The Metropolitan Museum of Art , New York, 1998, p. 63, 68.
Vöhringer, Chr., ¦Pieter Bruegel 1525/1530-1569,¦ Cologne, 1999, pp. 91, 113, figs. 95, 120.
Kavaler, Ethan Matt, ¦Pieter Bruegel. Parables of Order and Enterprise,¦ Cambridge, 1999, p. 2.
Christie's London, "Old Master Paintings," sales cat. 11 Dec. 2002, p. 61.
Raleigh, North Carolina Museum of Art-Columbus, IN, Indianapolis Museum of Art in Columbus-Manchester, NH, Currier Museum of Art, "Jan Miense Molenaer Painter of the Dutch Golden Age", 2002-2003, p. 172, repr. (cited under cat. 35).
Koerner, J.L., "Unmasking the World: Bruegel's Ethnography," ¦Common Knowledge¦, vol. 10, issue 2 (Spring 2004), "Neo-Stoic Alternatives, c.1400-2004: Essays on Folly and Detachment", p. 249-50, repro p. 250 fig. 10 (essay pp. 220-51).
Keyes, G.S., "A Brief History of the European Paintings Collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts with a Focus on the Dutch School", in the catalogue for TEFAF Maastricht 2005, pp. 10-15, esp. p. 13 and p. 14 (fig. 5)
Silver, L., ¦Peasant Scenes and Landscapes: the rise of Pictorial Genres in the Antwerp Art Market¦, Philadelphia, 2006, pp. 117-9, 200, 274 n. 41, repro. p. 118, fig. 6.14.
Sellink, M., ¦Bruegel. The Complete Paintings, Drawings and Prints¦, Bruges, 2007, pp.228-9
