2076

Exotic landscapes and depictions of paradise were particularly popular in the early 17th century. Numerous paintings by Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568-1625) and his son Jan Brueghel the Younger are known for their fantastic depictions of paradise, in which the curiosity and burgeoning interest in nature's wealth of diverse species are recognisable.
This depiction of paradise captivates with its variety of flora and fauna, rendered in the colours typical of Jan Brueghel the Younger - brown-green in the foreground and middle ground and brilliant blue in the background. Embedded in a wooden brook landscape, foreign animals from around the world are found in pairs alongside donkeys, ducks and swans. Camels, lions, leopards, ostriches and parrots make their way towards the ark.
In the right half of the picture, Jan the Younger again takes up the dominant white steed looking directly at the viewer, which his father had already depicted several times in his famous compositions, for example in "Entering Noah's Ark" (Malibu, J. Paul Getty Museum; inv. no. 92.PB.82) or "Paradise Landscape with Noah's Ark" (Budapest, Szépmüveszéti Muzeum, inv. no. 548(629). Regardless of the original habitat, the Flemish painter gathers different animals and creates a work that fascinates with its vivid details, colourfulness and exotic character.