Brussels in Latin / Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525-1569) / The Flemish artist died in Brussels on the 9Th

of September 1569 and was buried in the church Notre-Dame de la Chapelle. His wife Mayken
Coecke, who died later in 1578, was also buried in the same place. In thea chapel dedicated to his
memory there are two Latin inscriptions.

On the floor: IN MEMORIAM / PIETER BRUEGEL SENIOR / AB DIE IX MENSIS SEPTEMBRIS / ANNI
MDLXIX. / MULTAS PICTURAS FECIT QUAE NON POTERANT FACTAE. / PICTURAE SUAE
CONCIPIUNTUR PLUS ELEBORANTUR. / CUM APERTIS OCULIS MUNDUM ASPICIEBAT / ET COGITAVIT
DE QUESTIONIBUS SOCIIS SUIS. (In memory of Pieter Bruegel the elder, who died on September 9th,
1569. He painted many things that could not be painted. His works are rather conceived than painted
(..). He looked at the world with the eyes wide open and thought about the problems of his
contemporaries.) These words evoke Abraham Ortelius’ eulogy of Pieter Bruegel in his Album
Amicorum: MULTA PINXIT, HIC BRUGELIUS, QUAE PINGI NON POSSUNT, QUOD PLINUS DE APELLE. IN
OMNIBUS OMNIS OPERIBUS INTELLIGITUR PLUS SEMPER QUAM PINGITUR. (Our Bruegel has painted,
as Pliny says of Apelles, many things that cannot be painted. In all his works there is always more
thought than paint.) As Ortelius says, Pliny the Elder (HISTORIA NATURALIS, Book XXXV) had referred
to the Greek painter Apelles as follows: PINXIT ET QUAE PINGI NON POSSUNT.

On the wall: Ruben’s’ painting ‘Christ giving the keys to Saint Peter’, commissioned by Jan Bruegel,
Pieter Bruegel’s son. The original painting had been sold in 1765 and was replaced by the copy which
can be admired today. Below the painting there is an epitaph that Jan Bruegel dedicated with
devoted affection to his parents Pieter Bruegel, painter of the most beautiful and accurate works of
art, and Maria Coecke. Nature itself praises him as an artist, the most skillful artists admire him, and
rivals in vain imitate him in vain. In 1676 the epitaph was renovated by David Teniers who had
married Anna Bruegel, daughter of Jan Bruegel: PETRO BREVGELIO / EXACTISSIMÆ INDUSTRIÆ ARTIS
VENVSTISSIMÆ PICTORI / QVEM IPSA RERVM PARENS NATVRA LAVDAT / PERITISSIMI ARTIFICES
SVSPICIVNT / ÆMVLI FRVSTRA IMITANTVR / ITEMQ MARIÆ COVCKE EIVS CONIVGI: IOANNES
BREVGELIVS PARENTIBUS OPTIMIS / PIO AFFECTV POSVIT / OBIIT ILLE ANNO M.D.LXIX HÆC
M.D.LXXVIII / D. TENIERS IVN. EX HÆRDIBVS RENOVAVIT A° MDCLXXVI