a Flemish painter and engraver of the Baroque period, who was mainly active in Florence. he is known for his allegorical and mythological scenes, landscapes and religious works. Born in Oudenaarde in Flanders. After training in Milan with an obscure battle-painter, he traveled at the age of 15 years to Rome, where he found a powerful patron in Prince Matthias of Tuscany. In Rome, he was a pupil of the painter Pietro da Cortona, and often worked with Ciro Ferri.
