“The Magpie on the Gallows” is a Northern Renaissance oil on panel genre painting completed by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in 1568. The artwork measures 50.8 x 45.9 cm and is housed at the Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, in Darmstadt, Germany.
The painting depicts a rural scene set on a high vantage point among trees, with the gallows occupying the central foreground. Just below, a magpie perches conspicuously atop the wooden structure, which serves as a stark contrast to the bucolic landscape. Surrounding the gallows, various figures engage in different activities: some dance in a circle, a couple engages intimately near a bush, and others walk or converse. In the distant background, a panoramic view of a countryside stretches out with rolling hills, rivers, and several castles and buildings, speaking to the Northern Renaissance penchant for detailed landscapes. The meticulous portrayal of the figures and nature, right down to the leaves and individual branches, exemplifies Bruegel’s mastery in rendering life and environment with precise realism. The scene is complex, offering a narrative that juxtaposes the macabre symbol of the gallows against the vivacity and continuation of everyday life.
The composition is rich with symbolic elements, likely reflecting on themes such as justice, mortality, and the folly of mankind, which were common in Bruegel’s work and characteristic of the moralizing aspect of Northern Renaissance art.
