Northern Europe. The fresco’s use illusionist effects and narrate in a triumphalist way the history of the Habsburg Dynasty. The design follows the Baroque schema of architectural symbolism whereby the ceiling depicts the celestial world and the walls the terrestrial world. The ceiling is decorated with celestial beings that were said to protect the Habsburg territories. Underneath the curved surfaces below the ceiling, angels and putti are floating before trompe-l'œil architecture showing scenes from Habsburg history. The walls depict the terrestrial world with one of the scenes on the shorter walls celebrating the victory of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor over the Turks. In one scene we see the trompe-l'œil effect of a Turk falling down with his arms outstretched while his shadow is reflected on the painting (see illustration). The longer wall holds statues or busts of the Habsburg rulers in grisaille. In the fresco programme Abraham Godijn achieved a sophisticated and complex synthesis of fictionalist painting of architecture and lively figural scenes. He painted a series of the seven sacraments for the monastery of Saint Martin in Pontoise (now in Pontoise Cathedral). References External links 1681 births Artists from Antwerp Flemish history painters Flemish Baroque painters Fresco painters Year of death missing