Numerous international bidders set their sights on a tondo by Pieter Brueghel the Younger (1564-1638) which was offered by Schloss Ahlden (25% buyer’s premium) on September 4 for €46,000.
The Fat Peasant and the Merchant, painted on an oak panel, 6½in diameter (17cm), was one of dozens of similarly sized paintings depicting aspects of Dutch rural life that Brueghel painted over his career. This particular example, one of the rarer motifs, is thought to have been painted sometime after 1616.
While Pieter re-created many of his father’s works, this motif was most probably an original composition by the son himself and as such attracted considerable interest.