Seascape with Six Figures in the Foreground

Nicolaas Aartman Dutch

Not on view

Three sailing vessels are gliding along the water on a tranquil afternoon. On the river banks in the foreground fishermen are tending their catch. This small-scale drawing is a typical example of the work of the eighteenth century Dutch draftsman Nicolaes Aartman, who specialized primarily in the depiction of landscapes and townscapes. Many of Aartman’s designs were intended as book illustrations. However, judging by its delicate coloring, it is likely that this specific sheet was intended for the album of a drawings collector or ‘liefhebber’. It may have been paired with the highly resembling Seascape with Seven Figures and a Dog, also in the Museum’s collection (1975.121.1).

Seascape with Six Figures in the Foreground, Nicolaas Aartman (Dutch, Amsterdam 1713–1793 Amsterdam), Brush and gray and black ink, with watercolor, over traces of black chalk

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