Pieter Bruegel the Elder was famous for painting scenes from peasant life and here he depicts a wedding feast that would have followed a Church wedding ceremony. Bruegel's Peasant Wedding encapsulates the joy of peasant life, from the small boy in the foreground eating every last morsel of pie to the bride, strangely placed in the background, who looks on the humble scene with contentment. The barn setting provides ample space for the makeshift banquet, set out on a long row of tables. Approximately twenty guests are gathered at the table, while others crowd about the entrance at the far left, probably due to the laws that were passed limiting the number of participants. The time is early autumn, as indicated by the sheaves of wheat, the last of the harvest, hanging on the wall. Despite the crowded and chaotic atmosphere, Peasant Wedding exhibits a sophisticated composition, in which the diagonal arrangement of the table leads the eye across the entire painting and interior of the barn. There has been much debate regarding how contemporaries would have understood these types of paintings. Many have interpreted this painting to be a representation of gluttony and to carry didactic overtones; by exaggerating the foolish behavior of the peasants, the viewer, of superior social status, is instructed how not to behave. However, the obvious humor and lightheartedness apparent in the scene has led some to view Bruegel’s representation as more sympathetic to the peasant; perhaps the painting was meant in some way to celebrate the enjoyment that could be had at these types of gatherings. There is a lack of detailed individualization, which is heightened by the many turned backs. For the most part, the faces are moon-shaped and lack minute details. A perfect example of the general anonymity is the small child eating pudding in the foreground, whose large red cap hides almost all facial features. The painting may reflect the notion of the subtle wisdom of peasants, which was a theme commonly expressed in puns, proverbs and ...