''The Hay Harvest'' (also known as ''Haymaking''), is an oil painting on wood panel by Pieter Bruegel (c. 1525–1569), executed in 1565. The most important of the

Lobkowicz The House of Lobkowicz (''Lobkovicové'' in modern Czech, sg. ''z Lobkovic''; ''Lobkowitz'' in German) is a Czech noble family that dates back to the 14th century and is one of the oldest Bohemian noble families. The family also belong to the Ge ...

family's Northern pictures, it was hung in the dining room of the Antwerp merchant

Niclaes Jongelink Nicolaes Jonghelinck (1517–1570) was a merchant banker and art collector in Antwerp. He is best known for his collection of paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder and Frans Floris. His brother was the sculptor Jacques Jonghelinck. In the arch ...

. This work was originally part of a series of six panels, each presumed to represent two months of the year – in this case June and July. In 1594 all six panels were given by the city of Antwerp to Archduke Ernst, Governor of the Netherlands. It is believed that the whole series was selected by

Rudolph II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the Hous ...

at the division of his younger brother's estate in 1595. By 1659 only five panels are listed in the Vienna inventory of the

Archduke Leopold Wilhelm Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria (5 January 1614 – 20 November 1662), younger brother of Emperor Ferdinand III, was an Austrian soldier, administrator and patron of the arts. He held a number of military commands, with limited success, and ...

(1614–1662). It is not known if by that date ''The Hay Harvest'' had already left the imperial collections, nor is it known when the Lobkowicz family acquired it, though it is first recorded as in their possession in 1870. The painting is now part of the Lobkowicz family collection, located in the

Lobkowicz Palace The Lobkowicz Palace ( cs, Lobkowický palác) is a part of the Prague Castle complex in Prague, Czech Republic. It is the only privately owned building in the Prague Castle complex and houses the Lobkowicz Collections and Museum. The palace wa ...

within

Prague Castle Prague Castle ( cs, Pražský hrad; ) is a castle complex in Prague 1 Municipality within Prague, Czech Republic, built in the 9th century. It is the official office of the President of the Czech Republic. The castle was a seat of power for kin ...

, in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

References

External links

Peter Bruegel the Elder
1565 paintings Paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder Horses in art Farming in art {{16C-painting-stub