You know, I'm not sure what this is. I wasnt around in the 1600s so maybe thats it :) I love the photo though. I like the colors, and the angle this was shot at.
I think the DOF is a bit too narrow. There's just so much of the image that's blurred that my eye just can't quite find a place to rest on. But a good idea for the challenge, the composition is OK (I'd be interested to see the whole thing out of curiosity), as are the lighting and color.