Over the last three years the Auckland Art Gallery's conservation team has been working on a major project to restore Pieter Brueghel the Younger's A Village Fair. To complete this project and have the artwork ready for display in October 2023, we’re looking for support to frame this artwork from the Mackelvie Collection.
Auckland Art Gallery is committed to acquiring frames from the expert period frame makers in the case of the most important works in the collection. The Breughel is one of those.
Paul Mitchell in London has a repertoire of superb aged timbers and models from Breughels in European collections and the gallery has spent time working with Mitchell to establish the ideal frame model to adopt.
The Mitchell workshop represents the gold standard in the museum industry and given the two-plus years that the conservator Genevieve Silvester has been working on the painting to restore it and the importance of the painting, acquiring the perfect frame is necessary.
A Village fair (Village festival in honour of Saint Hubert and Saint Anthony), Pieter Brueghel the Younger, oil on panel, 1118 x 1651 mm, Mackelvie Trust Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1961
Pieter Brueghel the Younger by Anthony van Dyck Image Credit: Wikipedia
Both Pieter Bruegel the Elder and his son Pieter the Younger painted mass scenes of revelry. A Village Fair nominally illustrates a religious festival, a welcome respite from the monotonous toil of peasant existence.
Effigies of Saints Anthony and Hubert are carried in a procession through the village, but for the most part the spectators' attention has been diverted elsewhere - they gaze instead at an absurd play, 'Trick Water Farce', by a group of travelling actors. Acts of individual devotion are still evident - a man kneels at confessional, two men toll the church bell, and another politely doffs his hat as he gives directions to two travelling monks. For the most part, however, the villagers are content to dance and sing in a carousing mêlée.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder was influenced by the work of Hieronymus Bosch (c1450-1516), and saw his audience as the common people, rather than his bourgeois patrons. Interestingly, the latter were eager to buy scenes reflecting a simple life, remembered but impossible to recreate in the more complex social structures found in the cities and towns. This theme of a rural arcadia continued to attract artists and collectors for centuries to come.
Pieter Brueghel the Younger based many of his own works on his father's compositions, but A Village Fair is original. It proved extremely popular, and he produced several versions, all painted between c1616 and 1635. (from The Guide, 2001)
HOW THE DONATIONS WORK
We warmly invite you to help bring this Mackelvie Collection painting to life with a beautifully crafted frame, fitting for a painting of this calibre. We are inviting supporters to make a donation towards the frame.
DONATIONS
If you’d like to make a donation to the frame we welcome you to do so below via our website, or via bank transfer.
To make any other donation amount (other than those listed) , please contact us here and let us know your chosen donation amount.
In the checkout area, please select ‘Free NZ Delivery’. Please note, this is not a physical product so nothing will be shipped.
The Mackelvie Trust is a registered charity, so your sponsorship will qualify for a tax rebate. You will receive a donation receipt so that you can claim the applicable tax rebate in respect of your donation.
MACKELVIE MEMBERSHIP
If you are not already a member of the Mackelvie Society, when you sponsor an item or, make a donation over $1000, you will automatically become a Mackelvie Society member if you wish to do so. If you would like more information about becoming a member, click here.
Please note there is an option through the donation process to choose your level of membership, or alternatively opt out. We will be in touch after your donation to discuss your membership with you.
SPECIAL EVENT FOR OUR FUNDRAISING DONORS AND MEMBERS
We are fortunate in having the opportunity to invite a small group into the Conservation Laboratory, to join Painting Conservator Genevieve Silvester as she shares her insights into her work to conserve the painting.
Tuesday 20 June, 10:30am. Limited to 12 attendees.
Tickets are by donation towards the fundraising campaign.
View the full event details on our News & Events Page.
