Pieter van Bloemen, called Standaart (bapt. 17 January 1657 – 6 March 1720), first name also spelled Peter or Peeter, was a Flemish

Southern Netherlands

Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and annexed by France...

 painter

Painting

Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...

.

Van Bloemen was born in Antwerp, where he attained the status of master at the age of 17. He then went to Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

, where he remained until 1694, adopting completely Italian manners. In 1699 he became dean of the Guild of Saint Luke

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 identified by John of Damascus as having painted the...

 in Antwerp. He was the teacher of his younger brother Jan Frans van Bloemen

Jan Frans van Bloemen

Jan Frans van Bloemen was a Flemish landscape painter of the Baroque period.Born in Antwerp, van Bloemen was a younger brother of Pieter van Bloemen, who had left for Rome in 1674, where Jan Frans joined him in 1689. In 1690 a third painting brother, Norbert van Bloemen , joined them as well...

, a highly regarded painter of classical landscapes. The brothers travelled widely together, often collaborating on works, with Pieter taking on the role of figurista in Jan Frans' vedute, a role he also performed for many other artists.

A prolific painter, Van Bloemen was at his best painting animals, although he also produced a wide range of landscape, genre, military and history scenes. His nickname, attached to him by the Schildersbent, the confraternity of Dutch and Flemish artists active in Rome, is thought to be a reference to the standards and banners that he so often depicted in his scenes of soldiers.

He died in his native city of Antwerp. His brothers were also well-known painters.