Pieter Brueghel II The Younger

Pieter Brueghel the Younger was a Flemish painter and the eldest son of the great Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Born around 1564, he built a successful career largely by making versions and copies of his famous father's popular scenes of peasant life, festivals, and winter landscapes. Because his father died when he was young, he worked mostly from existing designs and drawings.

He ran a large workshop that met the strong demand for these lively country scenes, helping keep his father's images in circulation. He also painted some grim scenes of raids and fire that earned him a nickname referring to hell. Though less original than his father, Brueghel the Younger preserved and spread a beloved vision of Flemish rural life.