Pieter de Molijn

Dr. Einar Perman (1893-1976), Stockholm,
by descent to the present owners

Stockholm, Nationalmuseum, Dutch and Flemish Drawings in the Nationalmuseum and other Swedish Collections, 1953, cat. 135;
Laren, Singer Museum, Oude Tekeningen uit de Nederlanden. Verzameling Prof. E. Perman, Stockholm, 1962, cat. 75

W. Bernt, Die Niederländischen Zeichner des 17. Jahrhunderts, Munich 1958, vol. 2, cat. 409;
H.-U. Beck, Pieter Molyn, Katalog der Handzeichnungen, Doornspijk 1998, p. 113, cat. 193

The 1650s were Molijn's most prolific and inventive period, when he produced a large number of very complete atmospheric drawings such as this, representing mountain, river and dune landscapes, winter scenes, peasant markets and other subjects with great liveliness and variety. Most of these drawings are, however, roughly half the size of this sheet, and worked up only in gray wash - the standard format and technique for the artist's drawings from the earlier phases of his career. Only in the 1650s did he make a small number of larger-scale landscape drawings like this, sometimes worked up in brown as well as gray wash, works that include some of Molijn's most attractive and original drawings.