Karel Breydael Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

Karl Breydel, born in Antwerp in 1678, is a Flemish painter. Very little information has been recorded about the life of this artist, based mainly on his first biography written by Jean-Baptiste Descamps, who informs us that he was a pupil first of Pieter Ykens and then of Pieter Rysbrack from 1695. Read the full biography

Karl Breydel, born in Antwerp in 1678, is a Flemish painter. Very little information has been recorded about the life of this artist, based mainly on his first biography written by Jean-Baptiste Descamps, who informs us that he was a pupil first of Pieter Ykens and then of Pieter Rysbrack from 1695. He traveled extensively in Italy and Germany. He joined his brother Frans in Nuremberg at the court of Hasse-Kassel. Here the two brothers worked together for two years with considerable success. In 1703 he moved to Amsterdam where he had the opportunity to paint in contact with the Brueghels. He became famous for his depictions of battles and equestrian scenes. His paintings are characterized by their richness of detail, drama and movement, set in landscapes often embellished with ruins. Many paintings by this prolific master are in European museums, such as the Royal Museums of Brussels, in Antwerp at the National Museum and in other institutions. He is believed to have died in Antwerp in 1733, although Descamps states that he died in Ghent in 1744.