Seascape with Six Figures in the Foreground

1728–93

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).

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Seascape with Six Figures in the Foreground
Artist: Nicolaas Aartman (Dutch, Amsterdam 1713–1793 Amsterdam)
Date: 1728–93
Medium: Brush and gray and black ink, with watercolor, over traces of black chalk
Dimensions: 2 11/16 x 3 3/4 in. (6.9 x 9.5 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Harry G. Sperling Fund, 1975
Object Number: 1975.121.2
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By Nicolaas Aartman

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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Seascape with Seven Figures and a Dog, Nicolaas Aartman Dutch, Brush and gray and black ink, with watercolor, over traces of black chalk — Seascape with Seven Figures and a Dog
Nicolaas Aartman
1728–93

Sculptor Receiving Visitors in his Studio, Nicolaas Aartman Dutch, Pen and black ink, brush and gray wash; framing lines in pen and black ink — Sculptor Receiving Visitors in his Studio
Nicolaas Aartman
1728–93

Landscape with Resting Cavaliers and a Shepherd with his Flock, Nicolaas Aartman Dutch, Pen and black ink, brush and gray wash over a sketch in black chalk — Landscape with Resting Cavaliers and a Shepherd with his Flock
Nicolaas Aartman
1728–93

Dune Landscape with Oak Tree, Jacob van Ruisdael Dutch, Black chalk, brush and gray wash, and gouache; framing lines in pen and brown ink — Dune Landscape with Oak Tree
Jacob van Ruisdael
1650–55

Reading the News at the Weavers' Cottage, Adriaen van Ostade Dutch, Pen and brown ink, watercolor, white heightening, over traces of graphite; framing lines by the artist (?) in pen and brown ink and gold — Reading the News at the Weavers' Cottage
Adriaen van Ostade
1673

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