The Flemish painter Cornelis de Wael spent most of his life in Genoa where he lived from 1616 until 1657 when, to escape from the plague epidemic, he moved to Rome, where he remained until his death. Cornelis played a fundamental role in the history of the city and in the artistic exchange between Italy and Flanders: painter and merchant, his house-shop (for a few years also the residence of his brother Lucas) was the destination of many Flemish artists who arrived in Italy : among them Antoon van Dyck. The choice of Genoa compared to other destinations (Rome, Florence, or Venice), derived from the fact that at the time the city was growing rapidly and continuously, with potential clients and