Bentvueghels (Birds of a Feather)

An informal social group or fraternity of Dutch and Flemish artists active in Rome in the seventeenth century (ca. 1620–1720). These artists gathered around social and cultural interests, providing each other with support and camaraderie. Artists Pieter van Laer and Samuel van Hoogstraten, represented in The Leiden Collection, were members of the Bentvueghels. Also known as the Schildersbent (painter’s clique).