Galerie Paul Prouté

Although of Flemish origin, Stradanus worked primarily in Italy. He received his early artistic training in Bruges, first from his father, Jan van der Straet the Elder, and then from the painter Maximiliaen Frans. At the age of 20, he left his hometown for Antwerp, where he became a student of Pieter Aertsen before being admitted as a master to the Guild of Saint Luke in 1545. In the late 1540s, he left for Italy. His presence in Rome is documented in 1550, when he worked with Daniele da Volterra. He eventually settled permanently in Florence, where he was employed by the Medici family to create various decorative works.