Dutch Drawings of the 17th Century
This online catalogue is devoted to the museum’s world-class holdings of 17th century Dutch drawings, other than those by Rembrandt and his School, serving as a standard reference work for the international scholarly community.
Extensive collection
The Rijksmuseum has one of the largest and finest collections of 17th century Dutch drawings in the world, consisting of more than 5,000 individual items. The collecting of these works on paper started at a relatively late date, since the decision to collect drawings as well as prints was taken only in 1872. Under the supervision of J.P. van der Kellen, the Rijksprentenkabinet’s first director, the collection grew, but it was only after the founding of the Vereniging Rembrandt (Rembrandt Association) in 1883 that major acquisitions were made. With the association’s generous support, the museum was able to acquire important drawings, including works by Hendrik Avercamp, Rembrandt, Jan van Goyen and Jacob van Ruisdael.
Over the years, the museum’s collection of 17th century Dutch drawings expanded through acquisitions and various donations. Noteworthy are the gifts of Agnes Henriette Beels van Heemstede, née Jonkvrouwe van Loon, in 1898 and the heirs of I.Q. van Regteren Altena in 2014, and the bequests of Cornelis Hofstede de Groot in 1906 and Isaac de Bruijn and his wife Johanna Geertruida de Bruijn-van der Leeuw in 1949.
Continuous research
With such large and diverse holdings of 17th century Dutch drawings, the museum is committed to researching and cataloguing these works. Until now, the following printed collection catalogues related to 17th century Dutch drawings have been published:
- M.D. Henkel, Tekeningen van Rembrandt en zijn school (1942)
- P. Schatborn, Tekeningen van Rembrandt, zijn onbekende leerlingen en navolgers/Drawings by Rembrandt, his Anonymous Pupils and Followers (1985)
- A. McNeil Kettering, Drawings from the Ter Borch Studio Estate (1988)
- M. Schapelhouman and P. Schatborn, Dutch Drawings of the Seventeenth Century in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam: Artists Born between 1580 and 1600 (1998)
Schatborn’s 1985 catalogue of drawings by Rembrandt and his anonymous pupils has been updated and now published online. That online catalogue will be augmented in coming months with entries by his named pupils. The remaining 17th century Dutch drawings will be published in batches per artist in this online catalogue in the coming months and years. Moreover, written entries from the 1998 collection catalogue will be updated and published online as well.
This cataloguing project is generously supported by the Getty Foundation through The Paper Project, the van Marle Fonds/Rijksmuseum Fonds and the Rijksmuseum International Circle.
