One of the greatest Netherlandish painters of the sixteenth century, Pieter Bruegel the Elder (ca. 1525 1569) is best known for his landscapes and peasant scenes. One of only three signed works by Bruegel in the United States, The Three Soldiers was once in the celebrated collection of Charles I of England. The small panel in grisaille (shades of grey) represents a trio of Landsknechte, the mercenary foot soldiers whose flamboyant costumes and poses were a popular subject for printmakers of the period. This volume considers the artistic and political environment of the time and investigates how a colourful subject is transformed by its translation into monochrome.
