Herman Saftleven

Herman Saftleven was a prolific draughtsman, who produced many landscape drawings of both real and imaginary views. He was born in Rotterdam, but spent most of his career in Utrecht. Many of Saftleven's drawings depict actual locations in and around Utrecht, and also, notably, views along the Rhine valley, but others, especially from the 1650s and later, are freely executed capricci, in which he combined and adapted motifs and views that he had encountered on his travels. In these imaginary views, the influence of the compositions of Roelandt Savery is very apparent.  

The present drawing is a fine example of one of Saftleven’s most freely drawn, moody and atmospheric landscapes. Executed with immense energy in black chalk and grey wash this hilly and rocky scene, with a hut by a river, is almost audible, evoking very successfully the sounds of the wind in the trees, and the babbling, rippling river.