1612–1641
**Andries Both** (c. 1612/1613–1642) was a Dutch genre painter best known for his lively depictions of everyday life among the lower classes in Rome and its countryside. Born in Utrecht as the son of glass painter Dirck Both, he trained alongside his brother Jan under the prominent Utrecht master Abraham Bloemaert, with records confirming his apprenticeship in 1624–1625.
Both and his brother traveled to Italy in the early 1630s. Andries is documented in Rouen in 1633 and arrived in Rome by 1635, where he remained until 1641. There he joined the circle of Northern artists known as the Bamboccianti, who specialized in small-scale “bambocciate”—humorous yet sharply observed scenes of peasants, travelers, and street life rendered with Northern realism and Italian light. He often collaborated with Jan, who painted the landscapes while Andries supplied the lively staffage figures. Both may have belonged to the Bentvueghels, the rowdy association of Dutch and Flemish artists in Rome.
His paintings combine the earthy humor of Pieter Bruegel the Elder with the vigorous brushwork of Adriaen Brouwer. Notable works include *Boors Carousing* (1634), *Scene in a Brothel*, *Travellers by a Well* (1635–1641), *Card Players*, and *Hunting by Candlelight*. In 1641 the brothers left Rome for the Netherlands; Andries drowned in a Venetian canal in March 1642 while returning from festivities.
Though his career was brief, Both helped shape the Bamboccianti tradition that influenced later Dutch and Italian genre painting. His works remain prized for their vivid storytelling and blend of realism and wit, with examples preserved in major collections across Europe and beyond.