PIETER VAN BLOEMEN (1657-1720), entourage

Pastoral scene recalling the flight into Egypt Oil on canvas Dimensions: 35 x 42.5 cm Painter and draughtsman of battles and figures, he is best known for his landscapes with horsemen and animals. Brother of Jan Franz and Norbert Van Bloemen, he was trained by the painter Simon Van Douw, but it is said that he was also a pupil of Willem Romeyn. In 1673, Pieter Van Bloemen was awarded a master's degree in Antwerp at the age of 17, but he soon left for Rome, where he spent twenty years of his life, adopting the mores and style of the Italian School. Back in Antwerp in 1694, he had no less than eight pupils in his workshop and was appointed dean of the Guild of Saint Luke in 1699. His reputation will live on through the ages, and Pieter Van Bloemen is still considered today as one of the excellent painters of the Flemish School for his Italianate landscapes with horses and other animals, in the style of Wouwermans.