PETER, a Flemish painter, whose works are not frequently seen in these kingdoms; nor are they easily purchased in Holland, being carefully preserved in private collections, and are highly esteemed. The subjects he chose to paint were always taken from the lowest life; such as boors drinking, feasting, dancing, or quarrelling; shepherds piping, and sometimes the marriages of villagers. He was a faithful, and indeed too servile an imitator of nature; never departing from the actions, attitudes, or draperies of his models. He showed a good knowledge of the chiaroscuro and perspective; he had a delicate manner of penciling, and his colouring was mellow; but he had no idea of elegance: yet his pictures have in many respects great merit, and his defects seem rather imputable to the taste of his country than to his own genius; some of his works being for the lightness of the touch, the neatness of handling, and transparency of colour, equal to the best of his time. He died in 1667.