Detail
Dulle Griet or Mad Meg
This is another composition that is not for the fainthearted. Many of the details are reminiscent of Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1450-1516), and rather macabre. However, the painting is also infused with Bruegel’s sense of humour and his wit. Dulle Griet, for example, sports armour and brandishes a sword. A dagger dangles from her apron. For good measure, she is also carrying the ultimate weapon: a frying pan.
We
do not know if Pieter Bruegel the Elder selected this subject matter or
if this was a commission. We may assume that Bruegel was poking fun at
the hierarchy between men and women.
He inverted the traditional gender roles prevalent in the Low Countries during the sixteenth century. This composition is not the only one in which he did so: Bruegel also produced countless illustrations of cunning women who are literally and figuratively wearing the breeches.
He inverted the traditional gender roles prevalent in the Low Countries during the sixteenth century. This composition is not the only one in which he did so: Bruegel also produced countless illustrations of cunning women who are literally and figuratively wearing the breeches.
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