Portret van Pieter van Laer 1675 - 1679

Richard Collin’s engraving portrays Pieter van Laer, a Dutch painter who lived between 1599 and 1642. Van Laer was known by the nickname “Bambots,” which you can see inscribed around the portrait. Collin, a contemporary printmaker active in Antwerp, produced this work in the second half of the 17th century. Van Laer had been part of a group of Dutch and Flemish artists active in Rome who were known as the “Bamboccianti.” They specialized in genre scenes depicting everyday life, often focusing on the lower classes of Roman society. Van Laer’s nickname came to be associated with these kinds of paintings. This print provides insight into the artistic networks and cultural exchange of the period, as well as the social dynamics that shaped the art world. Further research into the biographies of Collin and van Laer, as well as the history of printmaking and the art market, would shed even more light on the work’s artistic and social significance.