Workshop of Pieter Bout (Brussels, between 1640 and 1645 or 1658 – Brussels, 1719 or 1689), Village festival

Workshop of Pieter Bout (Brussels, between 1640 and 1645 or 1658 – Brussels, 1719 or 1689)

Village festival

Oil on canvas, 59 x 80 cm

With frame 83 x 101 cm

This painting, most likely made by Pieter Bout's workshop, offers us a glimpse of everyday life in a Flemish village. The artist, with his ability to capture the essence of a genre scene, transports us to a distant world, where simplicity and the joy of living are the undisputed protagonists. In Bout's works we can detect elements inspired by Flemish painting that we can find in artists such as Jan Brueghel the Elder, also known in Italy as Bruegel of the Velvets (Brussels, 1568 – Antwerp, 12 January 1625).

Pieter Bout's birth date is uncertain: based on the few known facts, it seems to have occurred between 1620 and 1647, but more likely between 1640 and 1645, although he seems to have been baptized on 5 December 1658. The beginning of Bout's period of activity is considered to be 1664, the year of his first dated work, and it is believed that he continued to work until 1719, the year of his last dated work.

In 1671 he became a member of the Guild of Saint Luke in Brussels. From about 1675 he spent three years in Paris, where he often collaborated with Adriaen Frans Boudewijns, including figures in his landscapes. He probably visited Italy in addition to France. After returning to his hometown, he continued his activity.

Other artists with whom he collaborated, always inserting figures into their landscapes, were Lucas Achtschellink, Dupont called Pointié, Ignatius van der Stock and Jacques d'Arthois. He painted mainly genre scenes, landscapes, especially seascapes, views of cities, winter landscapes, ports and beaches, historical subjects and architecture.

In addition to paintings, he also made engravings of his subjects, including a group of four landscapes consisting of two winter scenes with skaters, one with a post carriage stopped in front of an inn, and a seascape. The village houses, with their thatched roofs and rustic facades, frame a scene teeming with life. In the center of this scene stands a tall maypole, a symbol of joy and celebration.

Small figures, painted with quick and light brushstrokes, move with vivacity: some dance to the sound of invisible music, others chat animatedly, still others observe the scene with an amused expression. The sunlight, filtering through the clouds, illuminates the scene with a diffused sweetness, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The figures are rendered with singular precision, and the details of the landscape, although essential, contribute to creating an atmosphere of realism.

The subject represented is the game of the Cuccagna Tree of ancient popular tradition and known in many European countries, in which the participants must climb to the top of a tree covered in grease or other slippery substances to collect prizes. The origin of this game probably derives from the May Tree that was erected in the villages on the occasion of Calendimaggio (around the first days of May) to celebrate the arrival of spring. In some cases the tree was carried in procession from house to house as a wish for good luck. The anthropologist James Frazer places its origin in the arboreal cults widespread throughout Europe, by virtue of the beneficial power contained in the spirit of the tree, which was thought to be able to magically bestow gifts and luck. In particular, the Cuccagna Tree would derive, according to Frazer, from a particular shape of the May trees, when it was pruned, leaving only the exposed top to which various foods were attached, which people tried to take with difficulty.