Pieter Boel or Peeter Boel (baptized on 10 October 1622 – 3 September 1674) was a Flemish painter, printmaker and tapestry designer. He specialised in lavish

still life A still life (plural: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, m ...

s and animal paintings. He moved to Paris, where he worked in the

gobelin Gobelin was the name of a family of dyers, who in all probability came originally from Reims, France, and who in the middle of the 15th century established themselves in the Faubourg Saint Marcel, Paris, on the banks of the Bièvre. The first ...

factory and became a painter to the king. Pieter Boel revolutionized animal painting by working directly from live animals in a natural setting. He thus arrived at representations of animals showing them in their natural, characteristic poses. He had many followers in France.Adeline Collange, 'Study of a Crowned Crane'
/ref>

Life

He was baptized in Antwerp on 10 October 1622 as the son of Jan Boel and Anna van der Straeten. He was member of a family of artists. His grandfather Jeroom had been a painter who was registered as a master in the Antwerp

Guild of Saint Luke The Guild of Saint Luke was the most common name for a city guild for painters and other artists in early modern Europe, especially in the Low Countries. They were named in honor of the Evangelist Luke, the patron saint of artists, who was ide ...

in 1620. His father was an engraver and his older brother Quirijn de Younger became an engraver. After studying drawing with his father he became a pupil of

Jan Fijt Jan Fijt or Johannes Fijt (or Fyt) (19 August 1609 – 11 September 1661) was a Flemish Baroque painter, draughtsman and etcher. One of the leading animaliers of the 17th century, he was known for his refined depictions of animals and his lush h ...

, a well-known still life and animal painter.Frans Jozef Peter Van den Branden, ''Geschiedenis der Antwerpsche schilderschool'', Antwerpen, 1883, p. 1095-1096 Jan Fijt had studied under the leading Flemish animal and still life painter Frans Snyders. He is believed to have traveled to Italy in the 1640s or in 1651.Peeter Boel
at the Netherlands Institute for Art History His trip brought him to

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

and

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. In Genoa he stayed with fellow Antwerp painter and art dealer

Cornelis de Wael Cornelis de Wael (Antwerp, 1592 – Rome, 1667) was a Southern Netherlands, Flemish painter, engraver and merchant who was primarily active in Genoa in Italy. He is known for his genre paintings, battle scenes, history paintings and still lifes ...

who was a long-term resident that city and played a pivotal role in giving Flemish artists arriving in Genoa an opportunity to work. Boel later married de Wael's niece upon his return to Antwerp. Upon his return to Antwerp, where he was registered in the local

as a ''wijnmeester'' (wine master) (a title reserved for the children of members of the guild) in 1650–51. He married Maria Blanckaert, daughter of the painter Jan Blanckaert. His wife's mother was a sister of the painters and art dealers Cornelis de Wael (whom he knew from Genoa) and Lucas de Wael. Two of the couple's sons

Jan Baptist Boel the Younger Jan Baptist Boel or Jan Baptist Boel the Younger (between September 1643 and 4 October 1643–9 January 1689) was a Flemish painter who specialised in still lifes and animal paintings. By 1668-1669 he had moved to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

where he formed part of the group of Flemish artists who had congregated around Charles Le Brun and resided at the Hôtel Royal des Gobelins. The court painter (Premier peintre du roi) Charles Le Brun had been put in charge of the

Gobelins Manufactory The Gobelins Manufactory () is a historic tapestry factory in Paris, France. It is located at 42 avenue des Gobelins, near Les Gobelins métro station in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. It was originally established on the site as a medieval ...

, the royal tapestry works created in 1663 as well as the decoration of the various new buildings being constructed for the King. To realize these projects Le Brun surrounded himself with a large group of artists including a number of Flemish artists such as the sculptor

Gerard van Opstal Gerard van Opstal or Gérard van Opstal (1594 or 1597, Brussels – 1668, Paris), was a Southern Netherlands, Flemish Baroque sculptor mainly active in Paris. He was known for his low-relief friezes with classical mythological themes and his ...

and the painters Adam Frans van der Meulen, Abraham Genoels,

Adriaen Frans Boudewijns Adriaen Frans Boudewijns (Brussels, 3 October 1644 – Brussels, 3 December 1719) was a Flemish landscape painter, draughtsman and etcher. He was known mainly for his landscapes with trees, Italianate landscapes with architecture, rivers and ...

and

Peter van Boucle Peter van BoucleName variations: Peter van Boeckel, Pieter van Boeckel, Pierre van Boucle, Pieter van Boeckel, Pieter van Bouck, Pieter van Boucle, Pieter van Bouck, Pieter Boucle, Pierre van Boucle (between 1600 en 1610 (?), probably Antwerp - 1 ...

. As a resident of the Hôtel Royal des Gobelins, Boel could practice his art without having to register with the local Guild of Saint Luke or the

Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture The Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture (; en, "Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture") was founded in 1648 in Paris, France. It was the premier art institution of France during the latter part of the Ancien Régime until it was abol ...

.Christian Michel, ''The Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture: The Birth of the French School, 1648–1793'', Getty Publications, 2018, pp. 47 On three occasions, his name appears in the ''Comptes des Bâtiments du Roi'' (Accounts of the Royal Buildings), including for providing designs for the Gobelins tapestry works.Walter Elisabeth Foucart, ''Pieter Boel, 1622 - 1674, peintre des animaux de Louis XIV'', le fonds des études peintes des Gobelins, catalogue de l'exposition, Paris, Musée du Louvre, 2001, Paris, Éditions de la Réunion des musées nationaux, (Exposition-dossier du département des Peintures ; 60), 2001 Boel was closely related to two Flemish artists, who also lived at the Gobelins: Adam Frans van der Meulen and

Gerard Scotin Gerard is a masculine forename of Proto-Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other early Germanic names, it is dithematic, consisting of two meaningful constituents put together. In this ca ...

, an engraver. In 1671 he was a witness to the wedding of Scotin. Van der Meulen's wife was the second witness. Scotin engraved a number of Boel's designs of animals and may also have been the publisher of engravings made by Boel himself. He was appointed ''peintre ordinaire'' (ordinary painter) by

King Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

in 1674. As the king's ordinary painter, Boel was commissioned to create 'paintings of various animals to be used in the tapestries of the Gobelins Manufactory.Madeleine Pinault Sørensen, 'Les animaux du roi: De Pieter Boel aux dessinateurs del'Académie royale des sciences,' in: Charles Mazouer, ''L'animal au XVIIe siècle: actes de la 1ère Journée d'études, 21 novembre 2001, du Centre de recherches sur le XVIIe siècle européen, 1600-1700'', Université Michel de Montaigne-Bordeaux III, Université Michel de Montaigne-Bordeaux III. Centre de recherches sur le XVIIe siècle européen. Journée d'études, Gunter Narr Verlag, 2003, pp. 159-184 He died on 3 September 1674 of that year. Adam Frans van der Meulen was a witness in the burial act. He was the teacher of his sons and

David de Koninck David de Coninck or David de Koninck, also known as Rammelaer (ca. 1644, Antwerp – after 1701, probably Brussels) was a Flemish painter who specialised in still lifes and landscapes with animals and hunting scenes. Recognised as a leading ani ...

Work

Peeter boel-armas y pertrechos de guerra

Boel principally painted still lifes including flower still lifes, hunting still lifes, animal and fish still lifes, vanitas paintings and still lifes of weapons. He also painted some landscapes. Since most of his works are undated, it is difficult to establish a chronology for his work. Boel achieved a very high quality in his work. It is believed that a number of his compositions may have had their signature removed so that they could pass as works by Frans Snyders or his master Jan Fijt. Only recently a number of still lifes in museums, which were formerly given to Fijt, have been re-attributed to Pieter Boel. Boel follows to a large extent the style of his teacher Jan Fijt, in particular in his smaller compositions featuring a hare or a few birds in the open air. Boel's compositions differ from Fijt's works in their restraint and the smoother and more controlled handling of the paint. His palette also differs from Fijt's in his preference for accents of blue, red and pink.Peeter Boel at site of Johnny Van Haeften
Ltd.">Johnny Van Haeften">Peeter Boel at site of Johnny Van Haeften
Ltd./ref> Pieter Boel - A Still Life with dead Game and Songbirds in the Snow

Pieter Boel - A Still Life with dead Game and Songbirds in the Snow

During his stay in Italy Boel got to know the work of the Genoese artist Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione and the still life painter Giuseppe Recco. He learned from these Italian masters to heighten the dramatic effect of his canvases by emphasizing the shadows. He also used red drapes in the background, a Baroque element par excellence, to enhance the atmosphere of his compositions.Pieter Boel, 'Still Life with Game, a Parrot, a Dog, a Monkey and Fruit'
at The Golden Cabinet Boel is known to have collaborated with fellow Antwerp artists

Erasmus Quellinus II Erasmus Quellinus the Younger or Erasmus Quellinus II (1607–1678) was a Flemish painter, engraver, draughtsman and tapestry designer who worked in various genres including history, portrait, allegorical, battle and animal paintings. He was a ...

and Jacob Jordaens, who painted the human figures in his compositions. Conversely, he also added still life elements to other artists' works. This is believed to be the case in the ''Portrait of the van de Werve Family'' (c. 1661, Auctioned at Sotheby's on 7 July 2005, London, lot 10) where Boel is believed to have added the still life on the left and the parrot in the portrait painted by Antwerp painter Pieter Thijs.Pieter Thijs, ''Portrait of the Van de Werve
Family''">Van de Werve">Pieter Thijs, ''Portrait of the Van de Werve
Family''at Sotheby's Boel was accomplished in large-scale vanitas paintings depicting an abundance of fruit, flowers, game and precious objects. His masterpiece in this genre is the ''Vanitas Still Life'' in the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille. Pieter Boel - Study of camels

Pieter Boel revolutionized animal painting. Whereas artists had contented themselves before with making static studies from stuffed animals, Boel drew and painted his animals from life in the

menagerie A menagerie is a collection of captive animals, frequently exotic, kept for display; or the place where such a collection is kept, a precursor to the modern Zoo, zoological garden. The term was first used in 17th-century France, in reference to ...

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

. He thus represented animals in their natural poses and devoid of any emblematic or similar preconceived notion of the animals. His way of portraying animals has been described as sympathetic with the animals. This was not in line with the prevailing view of animals as simple machines or beasts. His naturalism influenced a long line of great animal artists, from the painter

Jean-Baptiste Oudry Jean-Baptiste Oudry (; 17 March 1686 – 30 April 1755) was a French Rococo painter, engraver, and tapestry designer. He is particularly well known for his naturalistic pictures of animals and his hunt pieces depicting game. His son, Jacques-Ch ...

to the sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye. Boel was particularly adapt at rendering various textures, especially feathers. His animal studies were used as models for the animals appearing in the borders and foreground of a series of large tapestries, referred to as 'The Months' or 'The Royal Houses' (Maisons Royales) produced at the

Gobelins tapestry The Gobelins Manufactory () is a historic tapestry factory in Paris, France. It is located at 42 avenue des Gobelins, near Les Gobelins (Paris Métro), Les Gobelins Paris Métro, métro station in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. It was original ...

workshop. Each of the tapestries represents a different royal residence. Conscious of the value of Boel's animal repertoire, the Gobelins workshop kept the entire set of Boel's painted and drawn studies numbering 81 in total. They represent mammals, birds, a tortoise, a lobster and a lizard. They are painted against a red or pink background. He painted the fur, plumage, paws and eyes of the animals with a free brush. The same animal is in some studies represented in different positions. The species are mixed in studies, but it is rare for furry animals and animals with plumage to be included in the same study. The French painter

François Desportes François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters" * Francis II of France, Kin ...

copied several of his paintings and as a result, it was believed that the original drawings were by Desportes. It is only after it was confirmed that the originals had been made by Boel that Boel's reputation as an animal painter was re-established.Pieter Boel, Painter of Louis XIV's Animals - The collection of painted studies from the Gobelins
/ref> Charles Le Brun used Boel's studies for his own works.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boel, Pieter 1626 births 1674 deaths Flemish Baroque painters Flemish printmakers Flemish tapestry artists Animal painters Flemish still life painters Painters from Antwerp Artists from Antwerp