VP4750JANBRUEGHELTHEYOUNGER(1601–Antwerp–1678))NolimetangereOncopper,9¼x14¾ins.(23.5x37.5cm)PROVENANCEPrivatecollection,France,until2015

TheeldestsonofJanBruegheltheElder,JantheYoungerfollowedcloselyinhisfather’sfootsteps.AftertrainingwithhisfatherinAntwerp,hetravelledtoItalyin1622,buthistripwascutshortfollowingtheunexpecteddeathofhisfatherin1625.HereturnedtoAntwerpandtookovertherunningofthefamilystudio.Fromthattimeuntil1651hekeptajournal(Dagboek)idetailinghisactivitieswhichincludedsellingpicturesleftbyhisfatherandcompletinghalf-finishedworks.Hisjournalalsoshowsthathemaintainedcloserelationshipswithmanyofhisfather’spatronsandcollaborators.JantheYoungeradoptedasimilarlyrefinedmannertothatofhisfather,aswellasmanyofhisfather’smostsuccessfulcompositions.Intime,hedevelopedamorepersonalstyleandarepertoireofhisownsubjects.TheepisodeknownasNolimetangere(touchmenot)isfoundonlyintheGospelaccordingtoSt.John(20:14-18).AftertheResurrection,ChristappearedtoMaryMagdeleneasshestoodweepingbytheemptytomb.Atfirst,shedidnotrecognisehim,butsupposinghimtobeagardener,askedifhewastheonewhohadremovedJesus’sbody.Jesusthencalledherbyname,whereuponsherecognisedhim,exclaiming“Rabboni!”(Master),butJesusresponded,saying“Touchmenot;forIamnotyetascendedtomyfather”andbadehergotothediscipleswiththemessagethathewasnowrisen.Inthisinterpretationofthestory,JesusappearstoMaryinagarden-anallusiontoJohn’sremarkthatatfirstMarymistookhimforagardener.Jesusstandsbeforeher,drapedinabrilliantredrobeandholdingaspadeinonehand:thewoundsoftheCrucifixionareclearlyvisibleonhisbody.ThepaintingcapturesthemomentofrecognitionwhenMaryreachesforwardtoembraceJesus,butiscautionednottotouchhim:herflyingdraperiesareindicativebothofhersuddenmovementandheragitatedemotions.MaryandJesusaresurroundedbypotsoffloweringplantsandclumpsoftulips,artichokesandaquilegias.Abasketandawheelbarrowladenwithgardenproducestandcloseby:radishesandfreshlycutartichokesarestrewnacrosstheground.Onthehillsidebehind,alittlegroupoffiguresmaybeseengatheredbeforetheentrancetotheemptytomb-areferencetotheslightlyearlierepisodeinthenarrative.Threecrossesaresilhouettedagainsttheskyline,servingasastarkreminderofrecentevents.ThecityofJerusalemrisesinthedistanceontheright.Asfarasweknow,JanBruegheltheElderneveraddressedthistheme,butitevidentlyappealedtoJantheYoungerforhepainteditonatleasthalfadozenoccasionsinavarietyofcompositionsandwithseveraldifferentcollaboratorsprovidingthefiguresii.Theearliestrepresentationofthesubject,paintedjustbeforeorshortlyaftertheartist’sreturnfromItaly,withfigurescontributedbyHendrickvanBalen,waswiththeVanHaeftenGalleryin2011iii.MostcloselyrelatedtothepresentpaintingisalargerversiononpanelintheKunsthalle,inBremen,withfiguresbyapainterinRubens’scircle(Fig.1),datingfromthelate1630s.AlsofromthisperiodisasimilarversionwhichwassoldatLempertzinColognein2005(Fig.2)andthereisanotherpoorlypreservedversionintheFineArtsMuseumofSanFrancisco(Fig.3).Thepresent,smallervariantoncopper,alsowithfiguresbyapainterinRubens’scircle,canlikewisebedatedtothelate1630s.ThecentralpartofthecompositionisreprisedinalargecanvasbyamemberofRubens’sworkshoppreservedintheRijksmuseum,inAmsterdamiv.Collaborationbetweenartistswhowerespecialistsindifferentfieldswasacommonfeatureofworkshoppracticeinseventeenth-centuryAntwerp.Aswehavealreadyseen,whenJan

BruegheltheYoungertookoverhisfather’sworkshophecontinuedtoworkwithmanyofhisfather’sformerpartners.Here,therobustlyItalianatefiguresbyanunidentifiedpainterinRubens’scircleareskilfullyintegratedwithBrueghel’sdelicatelyrenderedlandscapeandstill-lifeelementstoformanharmoniousandunifiedcomposition.Theglowingcoloursandrichnessofdetail,particularlyinthenaturalisticrepresentationoftheflora-bothqualitiesenhancedbythecoppersupport-arehallmarksofBrueghel’sart.

Fig.1.JanBruegheltheYounger,Nolimetangere,

panel59.5x100cm,KunsthalleBremen.

Fig.2.JanBruegheltheYounger,Nolimetangere,

panel,61x85cm,Lempertz,Cologne,2005.

Fig.3.JanBruegheltheYounger,Nolimetangere,

panel,57.5x92.7cm,FineArtsMuseumofSanFrancisco.

BIOGRAPHYJanBruegheltheYoungerwasborninAntwerpin1601,theeldestsonofJanBruegheltheElderandhisfirstwifeIsabelladeJode.Hebeganhistraininginhisfather’sstudioattheageoften,andfollowingbothhisfather’sandgrandfather’sexample,travelledtoItalyin1622.HestayedinMilanwithhisfather’spatron,CardinalFedericoBorromeo,beforetravellingtoSicilyin1623inthecompanyofhischildhoodfriendAnthonyvanDyck.BrueghelreturnedtoAntwerpin1625afteracholeraepidemicclaimedthelifeofhisfatherandthreeofhissiblings.HejoinedtheSt.Luke’sGuildthatyearandbecameheadofhisfather’sstudio,sellingpaintingsleftbyJantheElderandcompletingunfinishedworks.ThefollowingyearhemarriedMaria,daughteroftheartist,AbrahamJanssens,bywhomhehadelevenchildren.JantheYoungerwasheadoftheGuildin1630-31andinthesameyearhewascommissionedtopaintanAdamCyclefortheFrenchRoyalHouse.HewasrecordedinParisinthe1650sandworkedfortheAustriancourtin1651.HereturnedtoAntwerpin1657wherehediedin1678attheageofseventy-seven.

P.M.i The original account book kept by Jan Brueghel the Younger has not survived, but its contents have been preserved in part in a copy made in 1770 by Jacob van der Sanden and covers the years 1625-51. See: M. Vaes, “Le Journal de Jan Breughel II”, Bulletin de l’Institut historique Belge de Rome, vii (1926-7), pp. 152-223 & J. Denucé, Brieven en documenten betreffende Jan Breghel I & II, Antwerp, 1934. ii Klaus Ertz, Jan Breughel der Jüngere, Freren, 1984, cat. nos. 152-156. iii Jan Brueghel II and Hendrick van Balen, Noli me tangere, on panel, 61 x 87.5 cm, with Johnny Van Haeften, 2011. iv Workshop of Pieter Paul Rubens, Noli me tangere, on canvas, 200 x 177.5 cm, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, inv. no. SK-A-2336.