Slide 12 of 26
Notes:
(Oil on panel/114x164/c. 1567, Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum)
Like the Peasant Wedding it is likely that Bruegel intended this painting to have a moral sense rather than simply being an affectionate portrayal of peasant life. Gluttony, lust and anger can all be identified in the picture. The man seated next to the bagpipe wears a peacock feather in his hat, a symbol of vanity and pride. The occasion for the peasants’ revelry is a saint’s day, but the dancers turn their backs on the church and pay no attention whatsoever to the image of the Virgin which hangs on the tree. The prominence of the tavern makes it clear that they are preoccupied with material rather than spiritual matters.
The composition, firmly framed by the village houses, seems to be diagonally divided through the middle: the group of drinkers around the table contrasts with the vigorous movement of the dancers in the right foreground, echoed by the couples further back.
