Il Bamboccio Pieter Bodding Van Laer ( allegedly... Lot n° 16

Horses and riders at the source Late '600 / early' 700 70x105 cm Painting without frame. Work restored and relined. Small lack of color. Attributed to Pieter Bodding Van Laer, known as "il Bamboccio", Dutch painter and engraver active in Rome for over 10 years, where he had gone in 1625. He gained notoriety for the paintings of scenes of genre and animals in landscapes located around Rome, where he worked assiduously becoming a member of the "Bentuveghels", an association of Flemish and Dutch artists. He was nicknamed the "Bamboccio" for an allusion to his rather clumsy physical appearance. Through the works he created in Rome, Pieter Van Laer initiated the "Bambocciante" genre, a new style of painting, which took its title from his nickname. He was mainly known for his genre scenes set in Italian landscapes often featuring animals and characters. The Bambocciante style had the ambition to offer the true portrait of Rome and its popular life without variation or alteration. His pictorial style was openly not appreciated by eminent Italian painters such as Reni, Albani, Sacchi etc., but despite all his paintings were highly sought after and well paid even by illustrious clients.