"The King Drinks" by Pieter Brueghel II | Old Master Paintings | 24 April 2018
One of the highlights of the upcoming Old Master Paintings sale at Dorotheum on April 24 is a remarkable painting by Pieter Brueghel the Younger. It features the feast of the Epiphany or Three Kings’ Day. The congregation traditionally met after church for a huge banquet, and one person amongst them was chosen by random to act as king. He who found a bean in his piece of cake was entitled to wear a paper crown and appoint his own royal household: queen, jester, master of the ceremonies, food taster, gatekeeper, and so on. As soon as the king raised his glass to his lips, the crowd exclaimed ‘The king drinks!’, and the festivities could begin. This depiction probably harks back to a lost model by Martin van Cleve, the artist’s contemporary. With an estimate of 700,000–900,000 euros, this painting will be the top lot of Dorotheum’s Old Master Paintings sale on 24 April 2018.