Belisarius recognized by one of his soldiers

Monsú is used in Italy to designate a Frenchman living in the peninsula, the term deriving from Monsieur. The term was soon used to rename foreigners of all origins. Monsù Desiderio is probably one of the most complex nicknames in art history, and was only unraveled by Maria Rosaria Nappi in the 1990s. In fact, two artists, François de Nomé and Didier Barra, are actually hidden behind this nickname, which quickly became a company label and then a general appellation for a certain type of work produced in Naples.

Of the two painters, François de Nomé was the one who worked most on large-scale perspective urban views, almost completely abandoned by the human figure. The painting of Orléans can be restored to him thanks to its style, but above all by taking into account the restoration carried out by the Arcanes workshop in 2022, enabling it to be rediscovered without the thick varnish that concealed it. A study of the numerous figures visible in the street has enabled us to identify an intervention subsequent to the painting's creation. Added at an unknown date, but close to the creation of the work, these figures give it a more Romanesque flavour. As these elements are particularly old and form part of the painting, it was decided not to remove them.

The work, as conceived by François de Nomé, contains only two figures, the figures barely legible on the bridge in the high center. While some historians have attempted to identify a subject here, it seems more appropriate today to refer to this painting only as Perspective, the word used in Naples inventories to designate the creations of the famous Monsú Desiderio.