Simon Denis was born in Antwerp but settled in Italy from 1786, living in Rome and

Naples. He was court painter to Joseph Bonaparte, King of Naples, from 1806 until his
death in 1813.

While in Italy Denis specialised in finished landscapes of famous sites, such as the
waterfalls of Tivoli near Rome. His technique was exact and detailed and he paid great
attention to naturalistic details and light effects. During his period in Rome he also
made oil sketches in the open air, which unusually he often signed and annotated.