Jan Brueghel the Elder

Jan Brueghel the Elder was a Flemish painter born in Brussels in 1568, the second son of Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Together with his brother Pieter Brueghel the Younger, four years his senior, he carried on his great father's world of painting.

Whereas his brother remained with the formal, "descriptive" imitation of their father, Jan created an individual and rich "painterly" world. Because of his fine, smooth surfaces he is also called "Velvet Brueghel." He was a close friend of Rubens, and joint works by the two survive. He painted a wide range of subjects, such as flowers, landscapes, animals, and village scenes.

He spent his whole life in Antwerp, where he was a great success as a painter. He died in 1625. One of his works is Landscape with Peasants Going to Market.