ticketsMember | Make a donation

Four-master and Two Three-masters Anchored near a Fortified Island, from "The Sailing Vessels"

Frans Huys Netherlandish
Publisher Hieronymus Cock Netherlandish
1561–65
Not on view
This engraving belongs to a series of ten prints known as the Sailing Vessels, executed by Frans Huys after designs by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. The series displays a wide range of sailing vessels, including merchantmen and warships, large seagoing vessels and small coasters, galleys, and caravels. Here, Bruegel depicted a four-master, i.e., a ship with four masts, and two three-masters anchored near a fortified island capped by a lighthouse. The detail and painstaking accuracy with which the vessels are rendered attests to the artist's great care and leaves no doubt that Bruegel must have prepared for the series by making numerous sketches and elaborate studies—all of which unfortunately are lost. At what point in his life Bruegel became interested in the subject of ships is unclear, but the deep fascination the citizens of Antwerp took in it is understandable given the nature of the city's economy. As a mercantile superpower with direct access to the North Sea, and as home to some of the most ambitious traders and explorers in Europe, Antwerp took great pride in the prowess and engineering of their ships and in their connection to the sea. Whatever the precise source of their appeal, Bruegel's series of Sailing Vessels was a highly sophisticated creation that far surpassed previous examples of the genre in technique and imagination.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Four-master and Two Three-masters Anchored near a Fortified Island, from "The Sailing Vessels"
  • Series/Portfolio: The Sailing Vessels
  • Artist: Pieter Bruegel the Elder (Netherlandish, Breda (?) ca. 1525–1569 Brussels)
  • Artist: Frans Huys (Netherlandish, 1522–1562)
  • Publisher: Hieronymus Cock (Netherlandish, Antwerp ca. 1510–1570 Antwerp)
  • Date: 1561–65
  • Medium: Engraving and etching; first state of three
  • Dimensions: Plate: 8 7/8 × 11 9/16 in. (22.5 × 29.4 cm)
    Sheet: 10 15/16 × 13 in. (27.8 × 33 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Alexandrine Sinsheimer, 1958
  • Object Number: 59.534.23
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Fortitude (Fortitudo) from The Virtues
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1559–60
Christ and the Disciples on the Way to Emmaus, Pieter Bruegel the Elder Netherlandish, Etching and engraving; second state of two
Christ and the Disciples on the Way to Emmaus
Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Philips Galle
1571
A Dutch Hulk and a Boeier from The Sailing Vessels, Pieter Bruegel the Elder Netherlandish, Engraving; first state of two
A Dutch Hulk and a Boeier from The Sailing Vessels
Multiple artists/makers
1565
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, Pieter Bruegel the Elder Netherlandish, Engraving; first state of two
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1560–63
The Parable of the Good Shepherd, Pieter Bruegel the Elder Netherlandish, Engraving; fourth state of four
The Parable of the Good Shepherd
Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Philips Galle
1565

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.