Joseph van Bredael

1688 – 1739

Flemish painter, part of a long line of painters, a younger cousin of Jan Frans van Bredael. He was a landscape artist specialised in refined copies and variants of Jan Brueghel the Elder 's compositions. In 1706, Bredael was employed to copy works by Jan Brueghel, Philips Wouwerman, and other artists by the Antwerp dealer J. de Witte. In 1735 he emigrated to Paris and became a member of the Royal Academy of the court of the Duke of Orléans. This painter, whose style is still widely unknown, signed his paintings with the monogram JB, like Jan Brueghel, hence the occasional confusion. Essentially a landscape artist, Joseph van Bredael was inspired by Brueghelian compositions though he employed the aesthetics particular to his day in his interpretations. Focusing on details, he meticulously executes his characters and décor in the style of a miniaturist. While his compositions and motifs are sometimes borrowed from Jan Brueghel, he adds a personal note to the contours of his figures and his strokes. He is considered to be amongst the best imitators of Jan 'Velvet' Brueghel.

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