LOUIS DE CAULLERY (Caullery, circa 1580 - Antwerp, 1621). "At the Gates of the Church. Oil on canvas. Re-tinted. It presents slight restorations. Measurements: 45 x 62 cm; 56 x 73 cm (frame). Louis de Caullery was a painter with a special mastery for the representation of crowds gathered in front of official events, congregations of all kinds, court festivities and popular meetings. This is splendidly demonstrated in this painting of a Flemish subject, in which the arrival of the kings has brought the whole city together in front of the church. Lively groups of people are seen with gestures and gestures, rich attire and humble clothes, as all social classes attend the event. We see a horse drinking from a stone fountain, royal banners announcing their arrival, courtiers at the gates of the Baroque church, boats docking in the harbour with the flag of the Netherlands unfurled. Louis de Caullery was a French painter who began his artistic training in Caullery in 1594 as an apprentice to Joos de Momper in the guild of Saint Luke, where he was enrolled as a master in 1602/1603. Despite his training alongside Momper, Caulery s work is closer to Mannerist sophistication than to Baroque naturalism. He was clearly influenced by some of the engravings of Hans Vredeman de Vries in particular, from whom he borrowed the whimsical architectural backgrounds. His work also displays similar characteristics to the painting of the artist Frans Francken II, which can be seen especially in the anatomical treatment of the figures, although in Caullery they are always represented as a volumetric aesthetic, both in the courtly and allegorical scenes, which form the most interesting part of his output. Caullery favoured genre painting and painted a wide variety of scenes: carnivals on ice, fireworks, bullfights, open-air collections, allegories of the five senses and encounters painted in the spirit of the Fontainebleau school. The height of his figures, their exquisite postures, soft faces and bare foreheads characterise his style. His colours are very sophisticated. Influenced by the Italian masters, his palette proved to be an innovation in Flanders: half-tones, yellow ochre, Veronese green and burgundy red. His depiction of buildings shows that he is concerned with great precision, while he is very skilful at presenting perspective.