Attributed to Jan Martszen the Younger Haarlem 1609 - circa 1647

W.B. Wouters, Delft

Delft, Technische Hogeschool, Gebouw voor Decoratieve Kunst, Een Keuze uit de Tekeningen-Collectie van De Heer W.B. Wouters, 1962, cat. no. 19

Jan Martszen the Younger was a cousin of Esaias van de Velde and also his pupil. He generally depicted the same subjects as his teacher and devoted most of his efforts to painting battle scenes and landscapes.  His drawings are rare: the most important examples to appear on the market in recent years are the two panoramic military scenes, sold, Amsterdam, Christie's, 12 November 1990, lots 94-5, and subsequently with Bob P. Haboldt.  Those drawings are perhaps a little more precisely executed than the present work, but there are nonetheless enough stylistic similarities to support the attribution of the latter to Martszen.