TheOldMastersPrintsThe Hunters in the Snow by Pieter Brueghel the Elder: meaning, location and key facts
The Hunters in the Snow is an oil on panel by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, painted in 1565. It measures 117 × 162 cm and is held at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
Key facts
| Artist | Pieter Brueghel the Elder |
|---|---|
| Date | 1565 |
| Medium | Oil on panel |
| Dimensions | 117 × 162 cm (height × width) |
| Museum | Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna |
| Style | Flemish painting |
| Data source | Wikidata (Q500985) · Wikipedia |
What it shows
Three hunters return to the village with their dogs after a poor day: all they carry is a fox. They pass an inn whose sign hangs askew while villagers tend a fire. Below, the frozen valley fills with skaters and tiny figures.
Bruegel painted it in 1565 as part of a series on the months or seasons for the merchant Niclaes Jongelinck in Antwerp. Five of the six panels survive.
Did you know?
- The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna holds three of the five surviving panels.
- It appears in Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris (1972) and Lars von Trier’s Melancholia (2011).
- The black birds on the branches and the greenish sky heighten the sense of cold.
Where to see the original
The Hunters in the Snow is at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. Works are sometimes lent to exhibitions or taken down for restoration, so it is worth checking the museum’s website before you go.
Which print size to choose
The print keeps the proportions of the original: if they differ from the paper, the painting is centred with a white border and never cropped. More details in our size guide.
| A4 (21 × 29.7 cm) | shelves, desks and gallery walls |
|---|---|
| A3 (29.7 × 42 cm) | bedrooms, hallways and small walls |
| A2 (42 × 59.4 cm) | above a sideboard, chest of drawers or headboard |
Prints are made to order in the Czech Republic and reach the EU in 3 to 8 days, with no customs. Canvases are made in the USA and take about 2 to 3 weeks, with EU VAT included in the price.
Frequently asked questions
- Where is The Hunters in the Snow?
- The original is held at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
- How big is The Hunters in the Snow?
- The original painting measures 117 × 162 cm (height × width).
- Who painted The Hunters in the Snow and when?
- It was painted by Pieter Brueghel the Elder in 1565.
- Can I hang a reproduction of The Hunters in the Snow at home?
- Yes. The work is in the public domain, so it can be freely reproduced. We offer it as a matte print in A4, A3, A2 (from €18.99) and as a ready-to-hang canvas (from €55.99), with free shipping to the EU.
Updated 21 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Message us through the shop and we will fix it.
