'Scribbles' exhibited as top art

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Jan Bruegel, Peter Paul Rubens, Antoon Van Dyck, Jacob Jordaens, Pieter Coecke van Aelst ... we know them mainly as great painters of the 16th and 17th centuries. Now their exquisitely drawn and portrayed masterpieces come into the international spotlight, together with the superb collections of lesser-known talents such as Jan van Stinemolen, Cornelis de Vos, Jan Boeckhorst, Godfried Maes, Jan Erasmus Quellin ... A stunning overview of drawing art from the period. A few previews? The sketchbook of 12-year-old Peter Paul Rubens, Anthonis van den Wijngaerde's 10-metre-long Panorama of Zeeland or the Italy sketchbooks of sculptor Pieter Verbruggen. 

 

The accompanying attractively designed publication that provides context for the selection of the 100 most beautiful drawings and prints makes it all worthwhile. Why was this art created? What materials, techniques, formats and sizes were chosen?  

 

And to think that these 100 works are only a selection of the 75,000 particularly high-quality objects on the Flemish list of masterpieces, which covers the period from 1500 to the present day and is one of the 50 most important print collections in the world. 

 

On display at Plantin-Moretus until 18 February 2024.