Siege on the fortress

"Cornelio was born in Antwerp, and there he applied himself to the profession of painting and succeeded admirably. His genius was for making small figures, and in these he was most abundant..." "Cornelio landed in Genoa with his brother Luca, who was also a painter, and perfect in making landscapes, ..., they had both decided to go to Rome, .." [Soprani, 1674, p 325]. Considered a Flemish/Genoese painter "This distinguished and virtuous Painter worked wonders" [Soprani, 1674, p 326]. The canvas photographs a moment of pause after the attack on a fortress, a realistic moment after the battle. It is a narrative text, a detailed description of the various figures; there are the commanders on horseback and the troops who are making their entrance within the walls after the siege, the soldiers who assist their wounded comrades, those who move the dead, and those who plunder the corpses of the enemies. All around on the ground lie the belongings of the combatants, rifles and sabers, lances, hats and parts of the armor worn. Everything perfectly described, with attention to the details of the characters' clothing and in those gray clouds, perhaps swollen with smoke, suspended over a battlefield, while a soldier holds high with honor the faded and worn flag, with the strong symbolic value of courage, sacrifice, resistance, honor and victory. "He was affable, and courteous, treated well, cheerful, serious, & pleasant in his speeches ..." [Soprani, 1674, p 325] and "so generous" [Soprani, 1674, p 327] to the painting, magnificently described, only the smell and sounds of the battle are missing; it is like attending a frame of a silent movie, where the intensity of the scene is completely entrusted to the gestures, dramas or joys of the characters. Dimensions: canvas, 99 x 149.5 cm