08 Works, January 17th is Pieter van Bloemen's day, his story, illustrated #017

Pieter van Bloemen, (1657–1720)

Detail; Battle with knights

Oil on canvas

cm 67x48

Private collection

Pieter van Bloemen, also known as Standaart (bapt. 17 January 1657 – 6 March 1720), was a Flemish painter. He was a gifted landscape and animal painter and was very successful with his compositions depicting equestrian, animal and market scenes.

Pieter van Bloemen, (1657–1720)

Battle with knights

Oil on canvas

cm 67x48

Private collection

Van Bloemen was born in Antwerp. He was a pupil of Simon Johannes van Douw, according to some historians already from the age of 10. He became a master of the local Guild of Saint Luke in 1674 at the age of 17. He had two younger brothers who were also painters: Jan Frans and Norbert. He was the teacher of his younger brothers, as well as of Peeter van Aken and Frans van Alter.

Pieter van Bloemen, (1657–1720)

Roman countryside scene with ruins and the Palatine, about 1690

Oil on canvas

76 x 104 cm.

Private Collection, Rome

Horses and herds resting on the backdrop of ancient houses and ruins, and a view of Rome with the Palatine from via dei Cerchi .

From the first floor, with the animals studied and taken from various angles and a single male figure on the left, the representation develops diagonally with the buildings on the right, where other figures appear: a man with his horse, some adventurers sitting at the table outside of an inn where the host is drinking. More on this painting

A prolific painter, van Bloemen was at his best painting animals. He carried on the tradition of Italianizing landscape paintings of the Roman Campagna representing inns, ruins and animals. A portion of his output paintings also stand in the tradition of the 'bamboccianti', a group of mainly Dutch and Flemish artists active in Rome whose small works depicted trivial or base subjects.

Pieter van Bloemen, (1657–1720)

Herdsmen and Animals in front of the Baths of Diocletian, c. 1700

Oil on canvas

 National Galleries of Scotland

The Baths of Diocletian (Latin: Thermae Diocletiani, Italian: Terme di Diocleziano) were public baths in ancient Rome, in what is now Italy. Named after emperor Diocletian and built from 298 AD to 306 AD, they were the largest of the imperial baths. The project was originally commissioned by Maximian upon his return to Rome in the autumn of 298 and was continued after his and Diocletian's abdication under Constantius, father of Constantine. More on The Baths of Diocletian

At some point he travelled to Rome. This possibly happened in the year 1674 or later in the year 1689. He was in 1684 in Lyon in the company of the Dutch painters Adriaen van der Cabel and of Gillis Weenix. His brother Jan Frans joined him in Lyon.

Pieter van Bloemen, (1657–1720)

Tempio di Vesta/ The Temple of Vesta

Oil on canvas

Height  : 41.0 cm; Width  : 59.0 cm

Private collection

The Temple of Vesta is an ancient edifice in Rome, Italy. The temple is located in the Roman Forum near the Regia and the House of the Vestal Virgins. The Temple of Vesta housed Vesta's holy fire, which was a symbol of Rome's safety and prosperity. The temple's most recognizable feature is its circular footprint. Since the worship of Vesta began in private homes, the architecture seems to pay homage to the architecture of early Roman homes. The temple used Greek architecture with Corinthian columns, marble, and had a central cella. More on The Temple of Vesta

Via Turin, Pieter and Jan Frans travelled on to Rome where in 1688 they were registered in the parish of Sant’Andrea delle Fratte. In 1690 their third painting brother Norbert joined them in Rome as well. Pieter and Jan Frans made a few trips to Naples, Sicily and Malta. Pieter and Jan Frans also collaborated on works, with Pieter taking on the role of figure painter and Jan Frans painting the landscape .

Pieter van Bloemen, (1657–1720)

The Duke of Marlborough and the Earl of Cadogan, c. 1714

Battle of Ramillies 

Oil on canvas

Height: 170.5 cm (67.1 in); Width: 207 cm (81.4 in)

Commonwealth Secretariat, Marlborough House, London

William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan, was an Irish-born British army officer whose active military service began during the Williamite War in Ireland in 1689 and ended with the suppression of the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion. A close associate and confidant of the Duke of Marlborough, he was also a diplomat and Whig politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons from 1705 until 1716 when he was raised to the peerage.

A strong supporter of the Hanoverian Succession, he took part in the suppression of the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion and succeeded Marlborough in 1722 as Master-General of the Ordnance and senior army commander. More on The Duke of Marlborough and the Earl of Cadogan

Pieter van Bloemen, (1657–1720)

Cavalry battle, c. 1717

Oil on canvas

Height: 31.5 cm (12.4 in); Width: 44 cm (17.3 in)

National Gallery of Norway, Oslo, Norway

Pieter van Bloemen, (1657–1720)

After the battle

Oil on canvas

48 × 72.5 cm.

Private collection

Because of his particular skill in the painting of horses, he was frequently invited to collaborate on the compositions of other local artists. An example is his cooperation with Balthasar van den Bossche on a portrait including a battle scene made for the Duke of Marlborough when he visited Antwerp after the Battle of Ramillies in 1706. Van den Bossche painted the portrait while Pieter van Bloemen painted the horses. The work is now only known through the copy painted by Pieter van Bloemen on his own.

Pieter van Bloemen, (1657–1720)

Battle scene, between 1677 and 1720

Oil on canvas

Height: 67 cm (26.3 in); Width: 84 cm (33 in)

Private collection

Pieter became a member of the Bentvueghels, an association of mainly Dutch and Flemish artists active in Rome. It was common practice in the Bentvueghels to give each member a nickname, the so-called "bent name". Pieter's bent name was "Standaart" or in Italian "Standardo". It is believed he was given this nickname in reference to the standards and banners that he regularly painted in his military subjects.

Pieter returned to Antwerp in 1694 and Norbert left for Amsterdam before 1724, while Jan Frans remained in Rome for the rest of his life.

Pieter became dean of the Guild of Saint Luke of Antwerp in 1699.

He died in Antwerp. More on Pieter van Bloemen

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.