Big Fish Swallow Small Fish

Pieter van der Heyden (c. 1530–after 1572), after Pieter Bruegel the elder (c. 1525–1569), engraving, 1557

Seated in a boat in the foreground, a father is telling his son some harsh facts about the ways of world: the powerful oppress the weak, the rich devour the poor – or, as the legend explicitly states, ‘Big fish swallow small fish’.

  • Artwork typeprint
  • Object numberRP-P-1925-63
  • Dimensionsheight 230 mm x width 300 mm