Lot 16: Louis de Caullery (Cambrai before 1582-1621 Antwerp)

A firework display at the Castel San' Angelo, Rome
oil on copper, stamped with the maker's mark of Peeter Stas
19 1/8 x 26 3/8 in. (48.6 x 67 cm.)

THE PROPERTY OF A EUROPEAN NOBLEMAN (LOTS 16 AND 55)

Possibly born in the village of Caulery near Cambrai, it seems that Louis de Caullery arrived in Antwerp in 1594, where he trained with Joos de Momper and became Master in 1602. He specialised in genre painting, showing a vast repertoire that included winter scenes with skaters, fireworks, allegories and interiors. It is generally assumed that he travelled to Italy at some stage, possibly living in Venice, Florence and Rome; this would explain his use of colour, which was somewhat innovative in Antwerp.

His scenes are generally animated by elegant figures conversing or simply standing in the foreground, as can be seen in works such as Ascension Day in Venice (The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, Durham) as well as in the present picture, which depicts the most venerable firework display in Rome: the girandola at Castel Sant'Angelo. This pyrotechnic extravaganza tended to be organised around religious festivals, including the election and coronation of the Pope, the festival of Saints Peter and Paul, as well as on other occasions.

Although there was no strict programme, the spectacle was normally divided into distinct phases: firstly, lights were switched on between the merlos of the castle while cannons fired salutes. Then wood and straw were set alight in front of the palazzos along the Tiber, which was the cue for rockets to be set off from the lateral towers, and finally a rocket and catherine wheel were set off from the top of the castle. This was accompanied by the sound of trumpets and cannon shots. The castle was the perfect setting for such a display and, thanks to its position on the river, the reflections in the water doubled the effect, resulting in spectacular theatre, drawing spectators to assemble along the banks jostling for the best view.

These firework displays are well recorded in a series of descriptions and especially in a number of prints dating from the early 16th Century (see the exhibition catalogue 'Fochi d'allegrezza' a Roma dal Cinqucento all'Ottocento, Rome, Palazzo Braschi, 15 September-31 October 1982).

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