PETER, an eminent painter, commonly called Old Breughel, to distinguish him from his son, was born at a village of the same name near Breda, in the year 1565; and was the first pupil of Peter Cock, whose daughter he married. It was customary with him to dress like a country-man, in order to be more easily admitted into the company of country-people, and be allowed to join in their frolics, by which means he became perfectly acquainted with their manners and gestures, of which he made excellent use in his pictures. He travelled to France and Italy, and for a long time studied landscapes on the mountains of Tyrol. His humorous turn of mind displayed itself in all his pictures, which generally consisted of country-dances, marriages, Breughel marriages, sports, and diversions; though he sometimes performed pieces from the historical parts of the holy Scriptures. At his return from Italy, he settled at Antwerp, and in his last illness caused his wife to gather together all his immodest pieces and burn them before his face. It is uncertain in what year he died. Of the works of old Breughel, the great duke of Tuscany has, Christ carrying his cross, with a great number of figures; and a country feast. The emperor has the tower of Babel, the massacre of the Innocents, and the conversion of St Paul, of his painting: the elector Palatine, a landscape, with St Philip baptizing Queen Candace's eunuch; and St John preaching in the wilderness, with a great many figures. Old Breughel also, for his amusement, is said to have engraved some few plates of landscapes and grotesque subjects.

Breughel, Peter, the younger, was the son of the above-mentioned artist, and named Hellish Breughel, from the horrible subjects he delighted to represent. He engraved also, according to M. Heineken; but his works are not specified. He died in 1642.

Breughel, John, commonly called Velvet Breughel, from his generally wearing velvet clothes, was the son of Peter Breughel, and born about the year 1575. He first applied himself to painting flowers and fruit, in which he excelled; and afterwards had great success in drawing landscapes, and views of the sea, set off with small figures. He lived long at Cologne, where he acquired great reputation. He travelled to Italy, where his fame had got before him; and where his fine landscapes, adorned with small figures, superior to those of his father, gave very great satisfaction. If a good judgment may be formed from the great number of pictures he left behind him, all highly finished, he must have been exceedingly industrious. Nor did he satisfy himself with embellishing his own works only, but was very useful in this respect to his friends. Even Rubens made use of Breughel's hand in the landscape part of several of his small pictures, such as his Vertumnus and Pomona; the satyr viewing the sleeping nymph; and the terrestrial paradise, which is looked upon as his masterpiece. He died in 1642.

Several of his works are to be seen in the archbishop's gallery at Milan; particularly a hunting-piece with a vast many figures; a landscape representing a desert, with the picture of St Hierom painted by Cerano, alias Gio Baptista Crespi. In the Ambrosian library are 20 pieces of this masterly hand; particularly Daniel in the lion's den, the inside of the great church at Antwerp, the four seasons on copper, and the burning of Gomorrah. In the possession of the elector Palatine at Dusseldorp, Christ preaching on the sea-shore; a country-dance; a sea-port, with a great many figures; a coach and two chariots, with a multitude of figures and animals; a landscape, wherein Flora is crowned by a nymph; St John preaching in the wilderness; a small sea-landscape, and several other pieces. In the possession of the late king of France, a woman playing with a dog, the battle between Alexander and Darius, both in wood: Orpheus in hell, &c.