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First time shown in public, Pieter Brueghel the Younger 1615 exceptionally large canva depicting ‘The village lawyer’ will be offered at estimated EUR 600 to 800k at Drouot in Paris end of March.

It is a social satire of the Spanish Netherlands, where poor pesants are facing a greedy lawyer collecting the ‘dime’, national tax.

The scene was depicted in more than 20 different versions by the artist, displayed at the Louvre, Royal Fine Arts Brussels, Gand or Bruges one of which was offered on sale in Belgium in 2019 estimated between EUR 50 and 90K. What makes it so special?

This version differs in its size, 112 by 184 cm the double of the size of the others(only one of the same size is known in a private collection), it enhances many details unseen in the smaller versions such as faces expressions or body language features.

it was painted on canvas vs copper or wood for the others which initially triggered doubts on its authenticity but was confirmed by French expert Turquin and German Brueghel specialist Klaus Ertz.

Kept in the same family and never shown for 100 years, it is in excellent condition according to the auctioneer Daguerre.

Pieter Brueghel The Younger often reproduced the works of his father, Pieter Brueghel the Elder(Winter Landscape with Skaters and Bird Trap) ; not for ‘The  village lawyer ‘.

Since 1998 Brueghel The Younger record at auction was GBP 6.8M  for’The Battle between Carnival and Lent’ 1637 at Christie’s NY in 2011.