PM - PK.OP.16361 - Roelant Savery - A draftsman seated at a wooden bridge in a mountainous landscape, Marcus Sadeler, circa 1609

In this print the contrast between the dark rocks in the foreground and the light background is immediately noticeable. The figure of the draughtsman with his back turned to the viewer and who may possibly be identified with the artist himself is a rather common element in 19th-century art from the southern low countries. Roelant savery was the younger brother and pupil of the painter jacob savery. From 1604 roelant savery was in the service of the roman-german emperor rudolph ii and in 1612 of his successor matthias in prague (at that time the capital of the holy roman empire, now of the czech republic), where sadeler also worked as an engraver and print publisher. From 1607 savery was commissioned to depict tyrol (central europe). For this purpose he made studies after nature and thus painted the still jungle-like areas. Unlike rubens’s landscapes, savery’s landscape are realistic and recognisable. However, they are not purely realistic landscapes. For many landscapes he combined his alpine studies with study drawings he made in the woods of bohemia. The water and rich depth views are typical of savery. This series is part of the earliest made in sadeler’s studio after savery. The first series bears the date of 1609. Object number pk. Op. 16361 object name copper engraving (visual work) collection old prints (visual works) material papier (vezelproduct) technique kopergraveren dimensions: hoogte: 203 mm (plaatrand) breedte: 263 mm (plaatrand) hoogte: 206 mm (geheel) breedte: 275 mm (geheel). Date: circa 1609.