Pieter Van Bloemen, View of Rome Palatine Landscape, 1700, Oil on Canvas

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Painting depicting "view of rome with a rural scene near ancient ruins, with the palatine from via dei cerchi", a … Read more Painting depicting "view of rome with a rural scene near ancient ruins, with the palatine from via dei cerchi", a high-quality work by pieter van bloemen called "lo stendardo" (antwerp, 1657-1720)

1690 circa

oil on canvas, 76 x 104 cm, with frame 86 x 112 cm

private collection, rome

representative and typical testimony of pieter van bloemen (antwerp 1657 - 1720), in particular of his stay in rome, this suggestive "rural scene with views of rome" exposes us to a subject congenial to him, which we find in fact other times in his catalog, with similar inventiveness but varied from the present ones. It was precisely during his roman years, from 1687 to 1692, that he reached the peak of his career, obtaining flattering successes, thanks also to the settings with roman ruins in the background, as confirmed by the presence of several of his works in the main picture galleries of the roman aristocracy.

another painting by van bloemen is available as a pendant to the present work, of the same size with a similar subject, as well as with the same stylistic and compositional characteristics.

this splendid canvas, which is therefore an interesting addition to the catalogue of the flemish master's works, depicts horses and herds at rest against the backdrop of ancient houses and ruins, in which it is possible to recognize a view of rome with the palatine from via dei cerchi.

from the foreground, with the animals studied and filmed 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 customers sitting at the outside table of an inn to which the innkeeper is bringing drinks.

pieter is clearly linked to the flemish idiom, although he reveals himself to be italianized in the type of landscape and in the stylistic conduct. While his brother jan frans will specialize in pure landscape, of classical inspiration, pieter combines it in a bambocciante key, preferring countryside scenarios with ancient ruins that act as a backdrop to simple daily activities: horses drinking, blacksmiths at work, travellers resting at inns, markets.

the interest in animals emerges from the constant presence, in addition to horses, of goats, oxen, and crouching dogs, which in fact also here become protagonists, occupying the band of the foreground, according to a compositional scheme rather usual in van bloemen.

in the vast activity of the stendardo, which still awaits cataloguing, we can however mention some paintings that for their inventiveness and in particular for their roman settings, present notable affinities with the pair examined here. For this purpose we can mention the “via dei cerchi” from a private collection, the “campestre scene” formerly rospigliosi, the “horses at the watering hole” from a private collection, the “roman scene with various animals” formerly apolloni collection and the “campo vaccino” from the lille museum, and others, all published in the volume andrea busiri vivi. Scritti d’arte (u. Bozzi editore 1990, pp. 71-90).

[giancarlo sestieri] this piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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