River view – Cornelis Ploos van Amstel after Jacob Esselens, 1771

RIVER VIEW WITH MARKET BARGES AFTER JACOB ESSELENS, 1771

“River View”, a print drawing after a drawing by Jacob Esselens, made by Bernhard Schreuder under the supervision of Cornelis Ploos van Amstel in 1771 and published in 1787. Chalk-manner printing and roulette, with additional brushwork in grey. The verso bears the vignette used by Ploos van Amstel to authenticate his print publications. Dimensions: 15.5 × 27 cm.

Three large market barges lie closely moored together on the tranquil water. Their tall masts and partly unfurled sails form the focal point of the composition. Various figures are occupied on and around the vessels, some apparently trading goods at the landing place. To the left, two fishermen sit in a small boat beside the reeds. Trees and low buildings line the opposite bank, while in the distance a church tower, city gate and bridge can be seen. The reflections of the boats in the water, the light clouds and a few birds in the sky lend the scene the atmosphere of a calm summer day.

The model for this print was a drawing by the Amsterdam painter and draughtsman Jacob Esselens (1626–1687), who is best known for his landscapes and river and coastal scenes. Esselens was admired for his ability to evoke nature convincingly with only a few loose yet assured lines. The sheet was regarded at the time as one of his finest drawings and, before entering Ploos van Amstel’s collection, had belonged to the celebrated collection of Jeronimus Tonneman.

Cornelis Ploos van Amstel (1726–1798) was a prosperous timber broker, but became particularly renowned as a collector of drawings and an experimental print publisher. He developed sophisticated techniques that enabled drawings to be reproduced as faithfully as possible. He called these reproductions “prenttekeningen“, or print drawings. By combining specialised printing methods with roulette work and, where necessary, additional brushwork, he was able to imitate the grain of black chalk, soft washes and even the spontaneous touch of an original drawing. The aim was to make the result scarcely recognisable as a print and instead create the impression of an original drawing.

This River View is a particularly successful example. The interplay of fine, chalk-like lines, broad grey passages and areas of almost untouched paper preserves much of the loose and immediate character of Jacob Esselens’s original drawing.

Price Euro 650,- (incl. frame)