a Flemish painter known for Italianate landscapes and genre scenes of fairs, cattle markets and villages. Joseph Bredael painted mostly landscapes and battles and made both copies and pastiches of compositions of 17th-century painters who were still popular in the 18th century such as Jan Brueghel the Elder, Philips Wouwerman and Claude. He paid particular attention to detail, meticulously executing his figures and décor in the style of a miniaturist. He was able to create the illusion of a succession of planes in his compositions through the use of lateral screens and a subtle and nuanced palette, which tended towards tones of dominant blues and browns, though always gentle and subtle.
