A series of canvases for a ceiling decoration

During the 18th century, influenced by the baroque Louis XIV-style, the constructional elements of the architecture of a house were disguised; a lowered ceiling, sometimes made of wood, mostly made of stucco, was incorporated to cover beams and planks. The 18th century interior was conceived of as a stage setting with all the elements contributing to the same effect. The most beautiful room of a typical canal mansion in Amsterdam, the large parlour, was situated at the back of the house facing the garden (the achterhuis) and was decorated with a painted canvas fixed to the ceiling generally painted with gods and putti amongst clouds, as shown here.

Elias van Nymegen had a knowledge of perspectives and architecture, and he was also appreciated for his pictorial rendering of flowers and landscapes. From 1689 on, he became member of the gild of Leyden.