The Dutch Italianates

Those who crossed the Alps are known as Dutch Italianates. Once in Rome, many of them joined the Bentvueghels, a brotherhood of mainly Dutch and Flemish artists that was founded in 1620. In their work they primarily focused on Rome and the surrounding countryside. Artists like Bartholomeus Breenbergh, Jan Asselijn, and Herman van Swanevelt endeavoured to capture the unique golden glow of Italian light. Their canvasses reveal a fascination with old ruins, and country and street scenes. Most Italianates were experienced painters, but also productive and skilled draftsmen who captured their surroundings on paper.