Pinacoteca Ambrosiana reopens Flemish room with new display for Jan Brueghel the Elder's 400th anniversary

On June 12, 2025, the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana in Milan unveiled a newly arranged Flemish room (room 7) to mark 400 years since the death of Jan Brueghel the Elder. The reinstallation, supported by Intesa Sanpaolo and designed by architect Alessandro Colombo, features 32 masterpieces from Cardinal Federico Borromeo's collection, including works by Jan Brueghel, Paul Bril, and others. The display groups paintings by artist rather than context, with a sapphire blue wall color chosen to complement the works. A multimedia installation by Black Srl and Limiteazero uses three interactive screens to highlight details of the Brueghel-Borromeo relationship. Key works include Jan Brueghel's "Allegory of Fire" (1608) and "Allegory of Water" (1614), part of a four-element series; "Vase of Flowers with Jewel, Coins and Shells" (1606); and Paul Bril's "Marine View" (1611). The collection also features a silver holy water stoup made by Brueghel with Girolamo Marchesini and Giovanni Battista Turati (1606-1607). Borromeo, who founded the Ambrosiana in 1618, was Brueghel's patron and admirer, praising the artist's study of nature. Brueghel died of cholera in Antwerp in 1625 at age 57.