Flemish proverbs

This small (117 x 164 cm) oil on wood painting of Pieter Brueghel the Elder is a detailed masterpiece that illustrates over a hundred proverbs. Birds of a feather. Put a spoke in wheel. To sit on hot coals. We all know and use these sayings. Sometimes ironic, often frivolous and funny, these phrases indicate our intelligence in any language we speak. Wordplay in literature, communication and art has been and remains a hallmark of different cultures over the centuries.

This is exactly what the Dutch artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder meant when he created his incredible Flemish Proverbs more than 450 years ago (alternative names are “Netherlandish Proverbs” or “The Topsy Turvy World”).

We offer to your attention Arthive’s detailed illustrated guide to this incredible work with the Bruegel’s visual messages decoded.