The department of Dutch Drawings and Prints before 1800 holds a number of special treasures. In total, this section of the collection comprises around 600 drawings and about 14.000 prints.
Finding and Inventing
The collection of Dutch landscape drawings from the 16th century is particularly remarkable. Here, a unique bundle of about 50 delicate pen and ink drawings stands out, made by an unknown artist on his journey from the Netherlands via France to Rome. An identification as Hendrick Ghysmans has recently been suggested for the artist described as "Anonymus Fabriczy". Landscape drawings by Tobias Verhaecht, Pieter Stevens and Roelant Savery take this graphic tradition into the 17th century, where it is further developed by artists such as Jan van Goyen, Jacob van Ruisdael and Pieter de Molijn, all of whom are represented in the collection.
Producing and Reproducing
In the course of the 16th century, the production of prints increased enormously. In the form of book illustrations, series and single sheets, woodcuts, copperplate engravings and etchings sell like hot cakes, so that a flourishing publishing industry develops. The State Gallery's extensive holdings range from Lucas van Leyden's copperplate engravings to sheets based on designs by Pieter Bruegel the Elder and numerous allegorical graphic series from the second half of the century.
Rubens and Rembrandt
The Staatsgalerie owns around 500 prints after drawings and paintings by the Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens. This part of the collection was recently digitized and its content made accessible in a research project funded by the German Digital Library.
Another focus is on Rembrandt's etchings, of which the collection contains around 250 sheets. In addition, countless works by pupils and imitators from the following centuries testify to Rembrandt's enduring popularity among artists and the public alike.
