Bruegel, Soldiers, and Kings

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c. 1525-1569) consistently represented soldiers as a social threat in both biblical subjects (of Old Testament kings as well as Gospel themes) and secular images in the paintings and prints that span his career. Yet in a small grisaille panel (1568; New York, Frick Collection), Bruegel turns to military imagery from German prints to celebrate the summons to battle of army forces. The only explanation for his late reversal, reinforced by the picture’s date, is that the painter was responding supportively to the onset of the Dutch Revolt against Spanish political and religious oppression.