Frans Geffels, known in Italy as Francesco Geffels (25 August 1624 – 18 February 1694) was a

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

painter, printmaker, architect, stage designer and designer of ephemeral structures for solemn and festive occasions.Miroslav Kindl, ''Die niederländischen Künstler der zweiten Hälfte des 17. Jahrhunderts in Diensten der Fürsten von Liechtenstein in Feldsberg (Valtice)'', in: Liechtensteinisch-Tschechische Historikerkommission (Hrsg.), 'Die Liechtenstein und die Kunst' Band 3, Vaduz, HWFL, 2014, pp. 172-173 M. Pigozzi, ''Gli apparati effimeri di Geffels e la collaborazione con Andrea Seghizzi'', in: Il Seicento nell’arte e nella cultura con riferimenti a Mantova, Mantua 1985, S. 186–195 After training in his native

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, he was mainly active in

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...

, where he was ''prefetto delle fabbriche'' to the Duke, a role that gave him the direction of the artistic and construction activities undertaken by the Ducal court.Roberta Piccinelli, ''The Position of Artists at the Gonzaga Court (1587-1707)''
in: The Court Artists in Seventeenth-Century Italy, ed. by. E. Fumagalli, R. Morselli, Rome: Viella 2014, pp. 167-198 He worked also on projects for the local aristocratic class of Mantua. In addition, he completed projects for the Liechtenstein princes and for the imperial court in Vienna. He was both a canvas and fresco painter. He created portraits, history subjects, military scenes, architectural scenes and

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

art, in particular merry companies.Frans Geffels
at the

Netherlands Institute for Art History The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: RKD-Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center i ...

Geffels is mainly remembered as the designer of some of the key examples of Baroque architecture in Mantua.Giulio Girondi, ''Frans Geffels, Rubens and the Palazzi di Genova'', pp. 183–199

Life

Franz Geffels, ritratto di Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga

He was born in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

as the son of a laborer in a sugar refinery and a mother who operated a cheese shop. He trained in the guild year 1635/36 with Daniel Middeleer (also called Daniel Middeler and Daniël de Middelaer). Middeleer was a painter, printmaker and publisher. Geffels became a master in the local

Guild of St. Luke The Guild of Saint Luke was the most common name for a city guild for painters and other artists in early modern Europe, especially in the Low Countries. They were named in honor of the Four Evangelists, Evangelist Saint Luke, Luke, the patron sa ...

some time between 18 September 1645 and 18 September 1646.De liggeren en andere historische archieven der Antwerpsche sint Lucasgilde
Volume 2, by Ph. Rombouts and Th. van Lerius, Antwerp, 1864, p. 75 By 1653 he was already abroad for some time. He was likely recruited to work in Mantua in 1659, by his fellow Flemish painter and architect

Daniel van den Dyck Daniel van den Dyck, known in Italy as Daniel VandichDaniël van Dyck
at the

. Van den Dyck had been appointed by duke Carlo II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua as the ''prefetto delle fabbriche'' ('Prefect of the Buildings'), a position which combined the duties of official court painter, architect, surveyor of the Ducal construction program and engineer for theatrical stage design. Geffels was working as an architect at the court. Geffens spent some time in Vienna in 1660-1661 where he worked for the Imperial Court. He returned to Mantua where he became, like van den Dyck before him, ''prefetto delle fabbriche'' of the duke of Mantua in 1663. He took the place of his compatriot van den Dyck had died in the previous year.Anne-Marie Logan, ''Daniel van den Dyck (Daniel Vandich)'', Wallraf-Richartz Jahrbuch 55 (1994), p. 95-104 In 1664 Geffens was granted citizenship of Mantua. He was described in official records as an artist who was skilled in creating devices for the theatre. Frans Geffels - Figures playing music and dancing in a garden

Frans Geffels - Figures playing music and dancing in a garden

Geffels remained in the service of the Dukes of Mantua for 30 years. He worked in 1667 in Vienna on commissions for

Karl Eusebius, Prince of Liechtenstein Karl Eusebius (11 April 1611 – 5 April 1684) was the Prince of Liechtenstein. He inherited this title in 1627 from his father Karl I. He was 16 and thus considered underage, and his uncles Prince Gundakar and Maximillian acted as regents ...

. There existed a close relationship between the Viennese court and the dukes of Mantua through marital links. The Empress Dowager

Eleonora Gonzaga (1630–1686) Eleonora Gonzaga (18 November 1630 – 6 December 1686), was by birth Princess of Mantua, Nevers and Rethel from the Nevers branch of the House of Gonzaga and was Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Queen consort of Hungary and Bohemia by marriage ...

was the third wife of Emperor Ferdinand III and the sister of

Charles II Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers Charles II Gonzaga (22 October 1609 – 30 August 1631) was the son of Charles I, Duke of Mantua, and Catherine de Lorraine-Guise (also known as Catherine de Mayenne). He was the Duke of Nevers and Rethel, together with his father. In 1621, he su ...

. He also participated on a book containing the libretto by

Francesco Sbarra Francesco Sbarra (19 February 1611 – 20 March 1668) was an Italian poet and librettist. Born in Lucca, he spent most of his career in Austria where he wrote the librettos for entertainments and operas at the courts of Archduke Ferdinand Charle ...

for the opera ''

Il pomo d'oro ''Il pomo d'oro'' (''The Golden Apple'') is an opera in a prologue and five acts by the Italian composer Antonio Cesti with a libretto by Francesco Sbarra (1611-1668). It was first performed before the imperial court in a specially constructed ope ...

'' scored by

Antonio Cesti Pietro Marc'Antonio Cesti () (baptism 5 August 162314 October 1669), known today primarily as an Italian composer of the Baroque era, was also a singer (tenor), and organist. He was "the most celebrated Italian musician of his generation". Biogra ...

, which was staged twice in July 1668 on the occasion of the marriage of

Emperor Leopold I Leopold I (Leopold Ignaz Joseph Balthasar Franz Felician; hu, I. Lipót; 9 June 1640 – 5 May 1705) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. The second son of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, by his first wife, Maria An ...

and

Margaret Theresa of Spain Margaret Theresa of Spain ( es, link=no, Margarita Teresa, german: link=no, Margarete Theresia; 12 July 1651 – 12 March 1673) was, by marriage to Leopold I, Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Archduchess of Austria and Queen of Hungary and ...

. The book was illustrated with prints depicting the various sets used during the staging of the opera. The ''folio de luxe'' edition of the book holds a print designed and etched by Geffels showing the opera's performance with Emperor Leopold I and his bride in attendance. The theatre in which the opera was staged had been purpose-built on the occasion of the couple's wedding after a design by

Ludovico Ottavio Burnacini Lodovico Ottavio Burnacini (1636 – 12 December 1707) was an Italian architect, and theatrical stage and costume designer, who served the imperial court in Vienna beginning in 1652. He is considered one of the most important "theater engineers" ...

. The theatre was destroyed during the Turkish siege of Vienna in 1683 and Geffens' print now serves as the sole evidence of the interior layout of the theatre. In the print, the imperial family is shown sitting at the front. In the foreground there is a row of soldiers. Geffels had himself worked on the illusionist ceiling paintings for the court theatre, which are also shown in the print. Reprise Buda 1686

Even after his return to Mantua later in 1668, Geffels maintained contact with the Viennese court, as evidenced by his collaboration on the three-volume book by Gualdo Priorato with the title ''Historia di Leopoldo Cesare'' and also by his paintings depicting the ''Relief of Vienna'' in 1683 (Wien Museum Karlsplatz) and the ''Retaking of Buda'' in 1686 (

Hungarian National Museum The Hungarian National Museum ( hu, Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum) was founded in 1802 and is the national museum for the history, art, and archaeology of Hungary, including areas not within Hungary's modern borders, such as Transylvania; it is not to ...

Frans Geffels - Design for funeral for Claudia Felicitas of Austria

Geffens' official duties at the Mantua court included the design and execution of ephemeral objects and structures used on the occasion of important court-related events. In January 1666 he collaborated with

Andrea Seghizzi Andrea Seghizzi or Sghizzi (''fl.'' 17th century) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Bologna. Seghizzi was born in Bologna around 1630. He initially trained with Francesco Albani and Lucio Massari, but then worked alo ...

on the decorations and objects made for the funeral of Duke

in the

Basilica palatina di Santa Barbara The Basilika Palatina di Santa Barbara is the Royal chapel, Palatine Chapel of the House of Gonzaga in Mantua, Italy. History Built at the request of the Duke Guglielmo Gonzaga and built by the Mantua, Mantuan Architect Giovan Battista Bertan ...

in Mantua. When in 1776 Empress

Claudia Felicitas of Austria Claudia Felicitas of Austria (30 May 1653 – 8 April 1676) was by birth an Archduchess of Austria and by marriage Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Archduchess consort of Austria, Queen consort of Hungary and Bohemia as the second wife of Leopol ...

died in Vienna not long after giving birth, her aunt Isabella Clara of Austria, Duchess of Mantua, had a funeral mass performed in the church of the Mothers of St. Ursula of Mantua, where the Duchess had become a

Poor Clare The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare ( la, Ordo sanctae Clarae) – originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Clarisses, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Order, and the Second Order of Saint Francis ...

nun. Frans Geffels was commissioned to design and construct a funeral monument that was set up in the middle of the church during the mass. It was mounted on four large marble-coloured pedestals, adorned on the top front with imperial eagles in low-relief. A print of the design was included in the book by Antonio Gobio and Geffels entitled MM. RR. Madri di S. Orsola di Mantoua: d'ordine della serenissima signora arciduchessa Isabella Clara d' Austria, duchessa di Mantoua, Monferrato, &c., per la morte dell' imperatrice augustissima Claudia Felice lei nipote'' published in Mantua in 1676 by Francesco Osanna, printer to the Duke.Antonio Gobio and Geffels, ''Le essequie celebratesi nella chiesa delle MM. RR. Madri di S. Orsola di Mantoua: d'ordine della serenissima signora arciduchessa Isabella Clara d' Austria, duchessa di Mantoua, Monferrato, &c., per la morte dell' imperatrice augustissima Claudia Felice lei nipote''
Mantua, Francesco Osanna, 1676 As a court painter and architect, Geffels was not prohibited from taking on private commissions. An important private commission was the redesigning of the Sordi Palace for Benedetto Sordi. He created frescoes in the palace and had the sculptor Gian Battista Barberini provide sculptured decoration of the façade and interior of the palace.Luca Ghirardini, ''Geffels, il fiammingo che ha firmato il barocco mantovanodi''
in Gazzetta di Mantova, 23 March 2017 He remained in office until his death in Mantua on 18 February 1694. He was buried in the Church of San Martino which he had himself redesigned. He was the last ''prefetto delle fabbriche'' of the duke of Mantua as the role was split over multiple persons after his death.

Paintings

He was both a canvas and fresco painter. He painted portraits, history subjects, military scenes, architectural scenes and

scenes such as merry companies. He is in particular known for his perspective views of two important military battles against Turkish forces: the ''Relief of Vienna'' (Vienna Museum at Karlsplatz) and the ''Retaking of Buda'' (

). Both paintings provide a bird's eye view of the military action with a view of the besieged city in the distance. Both paintings have in the lower left corner a legend which describe key locations in the battle scene which are each identified by a number in the painting. For the ''Retaking of Buda'' Geffels based his topographically correct view on an extremely rare print engraved by the Vienna-based engravers Johann Martin Lerch and Johann Jakob Hofmann after a drawing by the Dutch artist Justus van den Nypoort.György Rozsa, ''The Recapture Of Buda As A Pictorial Theme'' in: New Hungarian Quarterly, 1986, issue 103, pp. 163-165 For the ''Relief of Vienna'' Geffels relied on a print engraved by Johann Jakob Hofmann after a design by Justus van den Nypoort published soon after the events happened. Frans Geffels - Prodigal son in wild living

Frans Geffels - Prodigal son in wild living

Two portraits of Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga di Nevers have been attributed to Geffels. The portrait in the Palazzo d'Arco in Mantua has been attributed on the basis of a print made after the portrait which identifies Geffels as the designer. The second portrait is in the Palazzo Sordi. A pendant to this picture depicts the Duke's wife. The portrait shows the Duke at full length with a page on his side who is handing him a letter on a pewter plate. The Duke is wearing a heavy blue coat. The face is rendered with very recognizable features and an absent expression.Paolo Bertelli, ''Appunti di iconografia gonzaghesca: Ferdinando Carlo e le sue mogli'', in: Fine di una Dinastia, fine di uno Stato. La scomparsa dei Ducati di Mantova e di Monferrato dallo scacchiere europeo, 2010 Geffels was also a genre painter. A number of merry companies of elegant figures engaging in play, dance, dinner or music playing are attributed to Geffels.Attributed to Frans de Geffels, ''Elegant figures merrymaking in an interior''
at Bonhams London auction of 19 March 2013 lot 27W His ''Dinner Party on a Terrace'', (

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin Fr ...

, 1660s) was previously attributed to the Dutch painter

Pieter de Hooch Pieter de Hooch (, also spelled "Hoogh" or "Hooghe"; 20 December 1629 (baptized) – 24 March 1684 (buried)) was a Dutch Golden Age painter famous for his genre works of quiet domestic scenes with an open doorway. He was a contemporary of ...

. Geffels also painted some paintings of the humbler classes of society, which recalls the paintings of the

Bamboccianti The ''Bamboccianti'' were genre painters active in Rome from about 1625 until the end of the seventeenth century. Most were Dutch and Flemish artists who brought existing traditions of depicting peasant subjects from sixteenth-century Netherland ...

. An example is the ''Antique ruins with a Roma family'' (

Museum of Fine Arts (Budapest) The Museum of Fine Arts ( hu, Szépművészeti Múzeum �seːpmyveːsɛti ˈmuːzɛum is a museum in Heroes' Square, Budapest, Hungary, facing the Palace of Art. It was built by the plans of Albert Schickedanz and Fülöp Herzog in an eclecti ...

, 1660s). It shows some figures who may be

Romani people The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sig ...

possibly preparing a meal and a shepherd with a herd inside a tunnel-like grotto with Antique architectural elements. The iconographic interpretation of the work is not entirely clear. The inscription 'TEMPORALE AET (E) RNITAS' (temporary eternity) can be read on the relief of the pedestal of a tomb depicted on the left. This may be a reference to the theme of

vanitas A ''vanitas'' (Latin for 'vanity') is a symbolic work of art showing the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death, often contrasting symbols of wealth and symbols of ephemerality and death. Best-known are ''van ...

, i.e. the reflection on the transience of earthly things in general. Below the text there is a relief possibly depicting a sacrificial scene: a female figure is standing on a pedestal with her eyes looking up while at her feet children hold up a garland and the face of an old bearded man is placed between the two children. The tunnel in the picture is likely not an existing Antique structure but was created by combining motifs from different locations, which Geffels may have known through print publications. The work with its complex perspective of the tunnel grotto demonstrates how Geffels was able to put his skill as an architect and theatrical designer to good use in his paintings.A holland zsánerfestészet kutatástörténete (1970-2005) Finally, Geffels also painted religious subjects. He painted an ''Altarpiece of the Christian Doctrine'' in the church of San Martino in Mantua. He further painted on the ceiling of a room in the Palazzo Valenti-Gonzaga a series of frescoes on the theme of the Prodigal Son.Introini Marco. Spinelli, ''Architecture in Mantua from the Palazzo Ducale to the Burgo Paper Mill'', 26 July 2018

Prints

Geffels was a printmaker and designer of prints. A number of these prints illustrated ephemeral objects that he had designed himself. This is the case of the ''Design for the funeral monument of Claudia Felicitas of Austria'' and the ''Structures for the funeral of Charles II Gonzaga Nevers''. His interest in Bamboccianti subjects is also shown in his series of etchings of ''Italian landscapes, buildings and ruins''. This series of seven plates includes a frontispiece with a dedication to Marchese Ottavio Gonzaga and six prints showing figures amidst classical ruins. The plates have been etched with a broad needle and are heavily etched. Among these, the most ingenious and effective is the one in which, in front of a column ruin and some bushes in the back, five crooks are trading or playing cards on top of a using a column base.Carl Friedrich von Rumohr, ''Geschichte der Königlichen Kupferstichsammlung zu Copenhagen''
1835, PP. 81-81 Geffels collaborated on the publication ''Historia di Leopoldo Cesare'' written by Galeazzo Gualdo Priorato and published in Vienna by the Flemish publisher from Antwerp

Johann Baptist Hacque Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name ''Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Gracious" ...

. The first and second volumes of the book were published in 1670 and a third one in 1674. The first volume described the political and military successes of Emperor Leopold I between 1656 and 1670. It was mainly illustrated with prints made by Flemish and Dutch printmakers after designs by other Netherlandish artists as well as artists from Germany and Italy. The illustrations mainly depict portraits of European monarchs and important aristocrats, castle scenes, battle scenes, maps and ceremonies. Apart from Geffels whose portrait designs were used for some of the prints, the Dutch and Flemish artists who contributed to the work were

Jan de Herdt Jan de Herdt, in Italy also called Il fiammingoVariations of name: Jan Daniel de Herdt, Jan de Herde, Jan de Hert, Giovanni de Hert, Giovanni Darto, Giovanni Darto Fiamingo, Joannes de Hart, de HerdeMiroslav Kindl, ''Jan de Herdt, Nizozemí, Itá ...

Cornelis Meyssens Cornelis Meyssens or Cornelis Meijssens ( Antwerp, before 1638/39 – Vienna (?)) was a Flemish engraver and printmaker, known for his reproductive prints after famous painters and portraits. He trained in his native Antwerp and later moved to ...

, Franciscus van der Steen,

Gerard Bouttats Gerard Bouttats or Gerhardt Bouttats (Antwerp, circa 1630 – probably Vienna after 1668) was a Flemish people, Flemish, draughtsman engraver and printmaker, known for his prints of portraits, allegories, and devotional works.

Adriaen van Bloemen Adriaen van Bloemen or Adriaen Bloem (baptized on 27 February 1639 – c. 1697) was a Flemish painter, print designer, draughtsman and engraver. He was mainly a portrait artist who created individual and group portraits. He left his native Antw ...

, Sebastian van Dryweghen and

Jacob Toorenvliet Jacob Toorenvliet (1640–1719) was a Dutch Golden Age painter of genre works. Biography Toorenvliet was born in Leiden, to Abraham Toorenvliet (1620–1692), a glass painter and drawing instructor. The younger Toorenvliet first studied art wit ...

. German artists Moritz Lang, Johann Martin Lerch and Johann Holst and Italians Il Bianchi, Marco Boschini and Leonardus Hen.t Venetiis also contributed.Miroslav Kindl, ''Galeazzo Gualdo Priorato (1606 Vicenza – 1678 Vicenza), Historia di Leopoldo Cesare I–III, 1670–1674''
at Muzeum Umění Olomouc Paolo Monti - Serie fotografica (Mantova, 1972) - BEIC 6347245

Paolo Monti - Serie fotografica (Mantova, 1972) - BEIC 6347245

Architectural works in Mantua

Geffels is mainly remembered for his architectural projects in Mantua. It is not clear where Geffels obtained his architectural training. In his native Antwerp he must have familiarised himself with the home and workshop and annex courtyard garden that

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...

had designed for himself based on his artistic ideals. Rubens had further published in 1622 the '' Palazzi di Genova'', an important book illustrated by himself, which depicted and described the palaces of

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

in Italy in 72 plates. Geffels certainly had access to this book in Antwerp. Further, working with Daniel van den Dyck during his early years in Mantua must have given him further opportunities to hone his skills as an architect. His architectural designs brought to Mantua an original blend of the Baroque design elements seen in Rubens' house in Antwerp with Italian influences, in particular from Verona and Lombardy. He also demonstrated in his designs a solid grasp of the technical aspects of architectural design.'Frans Geffels architetto a Mantova'. Un libro di Giulio Girondi e Maria Giuseppina Sordi
Chiesa di San Martino, Mantova

The first palace in Mantua for which Geffels made the designs was the Palazzo Gonzaga di Vescovato in Portiolo on which he worked in 1662. He was also involved in the redesign of various other buildings including the villa of his friend Francesco Zanetti in Montanara (also known as Palazzo Cavalcabò), Zanetti's town house in via Corridoni, his own house, the Rabbi's House (1680) and the Church of San Martino in Mantua. The façade of the Church of San Martino is less Baroque then his other works. It is composed of a single giant row of four pilasters with composite capitals framing a central doorway, a rectangular window on each side, and three niches with large shells surmounted by pediments. These niches now contain plaster statues added only in 1739. In the church interior Geffels preserved the aisleless layout, which he enhanced with a decorative stucco frieze. The stuccowork was executed by Giacomo Aliprandi and Michele Costa. The reconstruction works on the church were carried out from 1680 to 1694. Mantova-Palazzo Sordi

He redesigned the Palazzo Valenti Gonzaga. This was a pre-existing building from the 16th century, which the owners wished to modernize. The façade was transformed into a Baroque style by another Lombard architect. Geffels' contribution is situated in the interior of the palace. He reworked the façade of the inner courtyard, which included a statue of Jove and painted decorations combined with stucco reliefs. The façade at the rear of the courtyard was also remodeled by Geffens. In the palace he redesigned the rooms. In some he painted frescoes while Gian Battista Barberini added decorative stuccowork and statues. The renovation was concluded in 1677. In the Sordi Palace, also pre-existing, Geffels had a free hand. He worked here again with the sculptor Barberini. The Baroque façade extending over two floors shows a horizontal sequence of paired windows which contrasts with the vertical dynamic created by the balustrades on the belt course. It is richly decorated. The central reception hall is elevated above the cornice. Geffels created in some of the reception halls frescoes of battles: one of the two reception halls is named after the battle of Belgrade against the Turks, in which the owner of the palace was a participant. Gian Battista Barberini provided the rich stuccowork decoration of the façade and interior. Geffels designed an artificial natural environment, decorated with wells, stalactite caves, mythological sculptures for the palace.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Geffels, Frans 1625 births 1694 deaths 17th-century Italian painters Artists from Antwerp Architects of the Spanish Netherlands Flemish Baroque architects Flemish Baroque painters Flemish history painters Flemish portrait painters Flemish printmakers Flemish war artists Italian battle painters Italian male painters Italian people of Flemish descent Painters from Mantua