Trompe L'oeil With Trumpet, Celestial Globe And Proclamation By Frederik III
Cornelius Norbertus Gijsbrechts
1670
Cornelius Norbertus Gijsbrechts was the ultimate master of visual trickery, and this 1670 masterpiece is his ultimate flex. He painted a cluttered shelf overflowing with a trumpet, a celestial globe, seashells, and a royal proclamation, all draped over a richly patterned carpet, to make it look like real objects are spilling out of a wooden cabinet. The artist was so good at this 'trompe l'oeil' (fool the eye) style that legend has it he once painted a curtain over a canvas so realistic that King Frederik III of Denmark tried to pull it back! It's a brilliant celebration of the king's power and the artist's own incredible skill at blurring the line between art and reality.