(Gorkum 1627–1689 Nordwijk) Classical ruins, pen, brush, brown and black ink, brown wash, over red chalk, on laid paper, 9,5 x 15,5 cm, mounted, framed, (Sch)

Comparative literature: E. M. Zafran, Master Drawings from Titian to Picasso: The Curtis O. Baer Collection, Atlanta 1985, p. 84, No. 43.

The majority of drawings by Jakob van der Ulft which have come down to us comprises small, attractive drawings and gouaches with Italianate landscapes. According to the Netherlandish engraver and biographer Arnold Houbraken (1660–1719) van der Ulft studied with Pieter Verboeck and afterwards worked as a glass painter; which cannot be proved according to todays knowledge. There are, however, recordings that the artist was “burgermeester” of Gorinchem from 1660 to 1679. The majority of his authentic and signed paintings were executed in this period. Although most of his drawings comprise views of Rome it has not yet been clarified whether the artist was ever in Italy. The most topographical views are „Capricci“ of true Roman buildings with imaginary elements. One can assume that these works were based on works by Dutch artists who had travelled to Rome for study reasons.
The present drawing shows the ruins of an old building, which may have been a decayed castle in his home country; in any case the sheet is not a tyical „Roman“ topography. In the delicate application of the wash and the precise recording of light and shade on the surface of the building the influence of Jan de Bisschop who had visited Rome, may be visible. Van der Ulft is known to have owned some drawings by van der Ulft, which he used for study purposes. (compare Zafran 1985, p. 84, No. 43).