Pieter Bodding van Laer (christened 14 December 1599,

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...

– 1641 or later) was a Dutch

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

and printmaker. He was active in Rome for over a decade and was known for

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

scenes, animal paintings and landscapes placed in the environs of Rome.Pieter van Laer
at the

Netherlands Institute for Art History The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: RKD-Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center i ...

Pieter van Laer was an active member of the association of Flemish and Dutch artists in Rome known as the

Bentvueghels The Bentvueghels (Dutch for "Birds of a Feather") were a society of mostly Dutch and Flemish artists active in Rome from about 1620 to 1720. They are also known as the Schildersbent ("painters' clique"). Activities The members, which included ...

. His nickname in this group ("bent name") was Il Bamboccio. The style of genre painting he introduced was followed by other Northern and Italian painters. These followers became known as the

Bamboccianti The ''Bamboccianti'' were Genre works, genre painters active in Rome from about 1625 until the end of the seventeenth century. Most were Netherlands, Dutch and Flemings, Flemish artists who brought existing traditions of depicting peasant subject ...

and a painting in this style as a ''Bambocciata'' (plural: ''Bambocciate'').David A. Levine. "Laer, Pieter van." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 21 February 2020

Life

Pieter van Laer was born in

as the second child of Jacob Claesz. Boddingh of Haarlem and Magdalena Heyns of Antwerp. He adopted the surname van Laer only later in life. This surname was probably taken from his brother's godfather. He came from a well to do family and his parents operated a private school in Haarlem started by Magdalena's father, the well-known writer and publisher Peeter Heyns, after whom Pieter van Laer was named. LAER Pieter van The Flagellants

His older brother was Roedolff van Laer, who also became a painter and was known as Roeland van Laer and Orlando van Laer. His youngest brother Nicolaes Bodding became known later in life as Nicolaes Boddingius and was a prominent schoolmaster and minister. He also had two sisters called Barbara and AnthoynettaA. Welcker, ''P. Boddink alias Pieter van Laer Orlando Bodding alias Roeland of Orlando van Laer Nicolaes Bodding alias N. Boddingh van Laer of Ds. Nicolaes Boddingius'', in: Oud Holland, Vol. 59, No. 3 (1942), Brill, pp. 80-89 Pieter van Laer was possibly a pupil of

Esaias van de Velde Esaias van de Velde (17 May 1587 (baptized) – 18 November 1630 (buried) ) was a Dutch landscape painter. Biography He was born in Amsterdam, where his Flemish father Hans had fled as a Protestant in 1585. He probably studied under his fath ...

in Haarlem. His early work shows the influence of this painter as is evidenced by a drawing signed Pieter Bodink (formerly in the collection of A. Welcker), which is close to van de Velde's style. He traveled to Rome in 1625 via France, likely in the company of his brother Roeland. In 1626 their father is also recorded in Rome as a witness to a will. Here he became a member of the

, an association of mostly Flemish and Dutch artists in Rome who were known for their initiation rituals, which involved a lot of drinking. Pieter van Laer's nickname in Italy was ''Il Bamboccio'', which means "ugly doll" or "

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods ...

". This was an allusion to van Laer's ungainly appearance, as he is said to have had unusually long legs, short chest and almost no neck.Peter Schatborn, Judith Verberne, ''Drawn to warmth: 17th century Dutch artists in Italy'', Rijksmuseum, Waanders Publishers, 2001, p. 85 Pieter van Laer was also known for his pointed moustache.Liedtke, Walter A., Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., and Alexa J. McCarthy. ''Self-Portrait with Magic Scene.''
In The Leiden Collection Catalogue. Edited by Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. New York Van Laer shared a home in the Via Margutta with

Giovanni di Filippo del Campo Jean Ducamps, Giovanni di Filippo del Campo or Giovanni del Campo (1600, CambraiGiovanni del Campo
at the

, whose pupil he is said to have been according to certain art historians. However, such apprenticeship is unlikely since the two artists had approximately the same age. He was also a close friend of

Joachim von Sandrart Joachim von Sandrart (12 May 1606 – 14 October 1688) was a German Baroque art-historian and painter, active in Amsterdam during the Dutch Golden Age. He is most significant for his collection of biographies of Dutch and German artists the '' T ...

in Rome.

Self-portrait by Pieter-Jacobsz van Laer

Through the works he created in Rome Pieter van Laer initiated a new style of genre painting. Paintings in this new style were named ''Bambocciate'' after his nickname. He became the inspiration and focal point around which likeminded artists congregated during his stay in Italy.David A. Levine (December 1988). ''The Roman Limekilns of the Bamboccianti''. The Art Bulletin (College Art Association) 70 (4): 569–589 The initial Bamboccianti included

Jan Miel Jan Miel (1599 in Beveren-Waas – April 1664 in Turin) was a Flemish painter and engraver who was active in Italy. He initially formed part of the circle of Dutch and Flemish genre painters in Rome who are referred to as the ' Bamboccianti ...

Andries Andries is a Dutch and Afrikaans masculine given name or surname equivalent to Andrew. Given name People with this name include * Andries van Artvelt (1590–1652), Flemish painter * Andries Beeckman (1628–1664), Dutch painter * Andries Bekk ...

and

Jan Both Jan Dirksz Both (between 1610 and 1618 - August 9, 1652) was a Dutch painter, draughtsman, and etcher, who made an important contribution to the development of Dutch Italianate landscape painting. Biography Both was born in Utrecht, and was ...

Karel Dujardin Karel Dujardin (September 27, 1626November 20, 1678) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Although he did a few portraits and a few history paintings of religious subjects, most of his work is small Italianate landscape scenes with animals and peasan ...

Johannes Lingelbach Johannes (or Johann) Lingelbach (1622–1674) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, associated with the second generation of Bambocciate, a group of genre painters working in Rome from 1625–1700. Biography Lingelbach was born in Frankfurt, ...

and the Italian

Michelangelo Cerquozzi Michelangelo Cerquozzi, known as Michelangelo delle Battaglie (18 February 1602 – 6 April 1660) was an Italian Baroque painter known for his genre scenes, battle pictures, small religious and mythological works and still lifes. His genre s ...

. The Frenchman

Sébastien Bourdon Sébastien Bourdon (2 February 1616 – 8 May 1671) was a French painter and engraver. His ''chef d'œuvre'' is ''The Crucifixion of St. Peter'' made for the cathedral of Notre Dame. Biography Bourdon was born in Montpellier, Fran ...

was also associated with this group during his early career. Other Bamboccianti include

Michiel Sweerts Michiel Sweerts or Michael Sweerts (29 September 1618 – 1 June 1664) was a Flemish painter and printmaker of the Baroque period, who is known for his allegorical and genre paintings, portraits and tronies. The artist led an itinerant lif ...

Thomas Wijck Thomas Wijck (also Thomas Wijk, or Thomas Wyck; 1616–1677) was a Dutch painter of port views and genre paintings. Biography Wijck was born into an artist family and received his training from his father. He journeyed to Italy, presumably by 16 ...

Dirck Helmbreker Dirck Helmbreker, Theodor Helmbreeker, or Teodoro Elembrech (1633–1696) was a Dutch Golden Age painter of Italianate landscapes. Biography According to Houbraken he lived from 1624 to 1694, but this has since been proven to be incorrect.