The scolding Woman, ca. 1568

About the Work

“A leaking roof and a smoking chimney, yes, where the monkey sits at the hearth and looks around. A crowing hen, a scolding woman means bad luck in the house, yes, trouble and grief.”

Contrary to our initial assumption, the seated figure is not a woman but a man in women’s clothes. In this depiction, Bruegel was picking up on the popular theme of women’s dominance over men. A “wicked” wife meant trouble, just like when the hen crows instead of the cock.