View of Rome with country scene near the Palatine, Pieter van Bloemen (Antwerp 1674-1720)

Painting depicting "View of Rome with a rural scene near ancient ruins, with the Palatine Hill from via dei Cerchi", a work of high quality executed by PIETER VAN BLOEMEN KNOWN "THE STENDARDO" (Antwerp, 1657-1720)

1690 about
oil on canvas, 76 x 104 cm.
Private Collection, Rome

Complete details on: www.antichitacastelbarco.it
Representative and typical testimony of Pieter van Bloemen (Antwerp 1657 - 1720), in particular of his stay in Rome, this evocative "Country scene with views of Rome" exposes us to a subject congenial to him, which we find in fact other times in his catalog , with inventiveness similar 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 various works by him in the main collections of Roman aristocracy.
To act as a companion piece to this work, another painting by Van Bloemen is available, of the same size with a similar subject, as well as the same stylistic and compositional characteristics.
This splendid canvas, which is therefore an interesting addition to the catalog of the Flemish master's works, depicts horses and herds at rest against the background of ancient houses and ruins, in which one can recognize a view of Rome with the Palatine Hill 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 table exterior of an inn to which the innkeeper is bringing drinks.

Pieter is clearly linked to the Flemish language, although he reveals himself to be Italian in his type of landscape and stylistic conduct. While his brother Jan Frans specialized in pure, classically inspired landscapes, Pieter combined it in a childlike way, preferring countryside settings with ancient ruins as the backdrop to simple daily activities: horses drinking, blacksmiths at work, wayfarers resting at inns, markets.
The interest in animals emerges from the constant presence, as well as horses, of goats, oxen and crouching dogs, which in fact here too become protagonists occupying the foreground strip, according to a rather usual compositional scheme in Van Bloemen.

In the vast activity of the Stendardo, which still awaits cataloguing, we can nevertheless mention some paintings which, due to their inventiveness and in particular their Roman settings, present notable affinities with the couple examined here. For this purpose we can mention the “Via dei Cerchi” from a private collection, the “Country scene” formerly from Rospigliosi, the “Horses at the watering hole” from a private collection, the “Roman scene with various animals” formerly from the Apolloni collection and the “Field Vaccine” of 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]

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