ATTRIBUTED TO LOUIS DE CAULLERY (CAMBRAI C.1580 -1621 ANTWERP)

From his paintings we know that de Caullery, who trained under Joos de Momper in Antwerp, travelled widely on the Italian peninsular, executing views in Rome, Florence and Venice. The cultural theatre of these towns evidently fascinated the Northern artist, whose scenes are populated with carnival goers, fireworks, bull-fights and open air entertainments. Stylistically, his figures show the Mannerist influence, with elegantly elongated lines. Here they throng the Piazzetta, beneath a deep azure sky, taken from a palette deeply influenced by the Venetian colourists, set off against the ochre of the architecture.