Flemish master drawings from the 15th century, Italian from the 16th,Dutch from the 17th and French from the 18th century are universally acknowledged as landmarks in the history of European draughtsmanship. Michelangelo, Peter Paul Rubens, Jan van Goyen and Nicolas Poussin are just a few of the many artists from the late Middle Ages until the Rococo era who have demonstrated the riches of drawing through their peerless virtuosity. A magnificent selection has been made for this catalogue of a hundred and twenty-six Italian, Flemish, French and Dutch master drawings from Belgian private collections. Many of these sheets by such great names as Rubens, Giorgione, Fragonard and Willem van de Velde are shown here to the public at large for the first time.

Collecting drawings has a long history. Whereas the earliest collectors were artists who kept in their studios drawings by other, often earlier masters, it was not until the 17th century that art lovers really began to compile portfolios of prints and drawings alongside their collections of paintings and curiosities.We know from the auction of his art treasures that the Dutch collector Cornelis Ploos van Amstel (1726-1798) possessed more than 6,ooo drawings. Through a lecture Ploos van Amstel gave about the subject we gain an insight into the motives behind bringing together such a vast collection of drawings. Such collections had a didactic purpose, for they 'offered the collectors relaxation, education and edification, bringing beauty into their lives and keeping them from indulging in extravagance' According to Ploos van Amstel, drawings allow us to get to know the mind of the artist,who reveals himself with a certain freedom in that medium, thereby giving the art lover the opportunity to make new discoveries in art.

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Introduction: 'For Relaxation, Education and Edification'

Jeroen Giltaij

CATALOGUE

Southern Netherlands

Northern Netherlands

Italy

France

Bibliography

Index