Painter and draughtsman and son of Pieter Bruegel I, Jan Brueghel the Elder is famous for his small-scale history paintings, some of which were executed on copper, exquisite flower still-lifes, allegorical and mythological scenes and various types of landscapes, including imaginary mountain landscapes, forest interiors, villages and country roads, ports, river views, seascapes, hunting pieces, battles and scenes of Hell and the underworld.

Because of the early death of his father, Jan received his first training in watercolour painting from his maternal grandmother, Mayken Verhulst. According to van Mander, Pieter Goetkindt (d 1583) taught Jan to paint in oils. In 1589 Jan travelled to Italy via Cologne. He wa...