Gillis Coignet

Gillis Coignet or Gillis Coignet (I), known in Italy as Giulio Cognietta (many variant spellings of the family name, including Quinet, Quinget, Cognget, Cognet, Coignet, Congnet and Quiniet) (c. 1542 – 1599) was a Flemish Renaissance painter. He painted mainly mythological, biblical and allegorical subjects, and was particularly known for his nocturnal scenes lit by candlelight or moonlight. During a decade long sojourn in Italy, he absorbed the influence of contemporary Italian artists, in particular, Titian and Tintoretto. As a Lutheran, he was forced to leave Antwerp after the Fall of Antwerp in 1585 and spent the final part of his career first in Amsterdam and then Hamburg.