This major institutional publication presents more than one hundred master drawings from the Royal Library of Belgium, home to one of the most significant collections of works on paper in Europe. Bringing together highlights from the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries, the volume reveals the depth and scholarly importance of a collection that has long remained relatively little known outside specialist circles.
The catalog features works by leading artists of the Low Countries, including Pieter Bruegel I, Joris Hoefnagel, Hendrick Goltzius, Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, and Jacques Jordaens. Alongside celebrated names, the publication introduces newly studied drawings and revised attributions, expanding understanding of workshop practice, artistic exchange, and stylistic development across three centuries.
Essays by thirty specialists situate the collection within the broader history of Netherlandish drawing, examining themes of technique, patronage, connoisseurship, and the circulation of artistic ideas. Particular attention is given to works that illuminate the transition from Renaissance draftsmanship to the dynamism of the Baroque, revealing how drawing functioned both as an independent art form and as a foundation for painting and printmaking.
Richly illustrated and academically rigorous, this museum collection catalog represents a significant contribution to the study of Northern European art. It serves as an essential reference for collectors, libraries, curators, and researchers focused on Flemish and Dutch drawing traditions from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries.
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