A painting, generally of medium or small format, representing scenes of peasant life, interpreted in a burlesque and ironic tone and thus not of social intention. The Italian word bamboccio can mean both a doll or a puppet. Some authorities refer the origin of the name to the nickname of the Dutch artist Pieter van Laer (1592c. - 1642), celebrated for the production of these subjects and active in Rome for a long period of time.