“Step into a whimsical world where food grows on trees and laziness is celebrated. This engraving by Pieter Bruegel the Elder satirizes human gluttony and the universal dream of a land of endless abundance.”
In this fantastical scene, three men lie blissfully under a pie-laden table, indulging in the legendary Land of Cockaigne, a mythical paradise of abundant food and leisure. A knight, a peasant, and a scholar represent the three estates of society, all equally succumbing to gluttony and idleness. Bruegel renders the landscape itself as edible, with roofs made of pastries and fences woven from sausages. The composition invites us to consider the allure and absurdity of a world where effort is obsolete and desires are instantly gratified. This engraving, made shortly before Bruegel's early death, captures the satirical spirit prevalent in Northern Renaissance art, reflecting on human folly with both humor and sharp observation.
- Artist
- Pieter Bruegel the Elder
- Date
- 1570
- Medium
- Engraving; first state of three
- Location
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Dimensions
- Plate: 8 3/16 x 11 in. (20.8 x 27.9 cm)
- Collection
- Drawings and Prints
- Credit line
- Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1926
What to Notice
Five details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.
A roasted pig walks with a knife in its back, ready to be carved.
A cooked goose flies directly into a man's mouth.
A knight, a peasant, and a scholar sleep under a table filled with food.
The fence is woven from sausages, and the roof tiles are tarts.
1 more detail is waiting.
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Pieter Bruegel the Elder
1525–1569 · Duchy of BrabantPieter Bruegel the Elder pioneered large-scale landscapes and peasant scenes, profoundly influencing Dutch Golden Age painting.
Further Works by Elder
The Fight Between Carnival and Lent
1559
The Tower of Babel
1563
Large Alpine Landscape
1550 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Kermis at Hoboken
1554 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Descent of Christ Into Limbo
1556 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Ass at School
1557 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Thin Kitchen
1563 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Rich Man Playing Violin on a Jaw Bone
1528 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
More works to explore
Beyond Elder: works from the same years.
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The Meeting of Jacob and Rebecca, and Isaac Blessing Jacob from The Story of Jacob
Workshop of Jan van Tieghem · 1560 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1550s–1580s
Backplate of an Armor for Vincenzo Luigi di Capua (d. 1627)
Pompeo della Cesa · 1570 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Winter Landscape with Snowfall near Antwerp
Lucas van Valckenborch · 1575 · Städel Museum
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Virgin and Child with the infant Saint John the Baptist
Matteo Florimi · 1576 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Matteo Pagano · 1563 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art