Herberg te Anrath - Cornelis Ploos van Amstel

A detailed reproduction print by Cornelis Ploos van Amstel, capturing a rustic village scene originally drawn by Gerbrand van den Eeckhout in 1670.

This work is a reproduction print by Cornelis Ploos van Amstel, a Dutch artist known for his innovative techniques in imitating drawings through printmaking. The original composition is attributed to Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, a pupil of Rembrandt, whose signature appears in the lower right corner with the date 1670. The scene depicts a quiet moment outside a village inn in Anrath, characterised by the rustic architecture and the presence of local figures.

In the foreground, a group of people gathers near a large, gnarled tree, which provides a structural anchor for the composition. A small pig wanders near the figures, adding a sense of rural authenticity to the setting. The architecture of the inn, with its timber-framed walls and tiled roof, reflects the vernacular style of the period. The artist employs a delicate use of line and wash effects to suggest texture, from the rough bark of the tree to the weathered brickwork of the low wall on the right.

Ploos van Amstel developed specific methods to replicate the appearance of original drawings, often using a combination of etching, roulette, and aquatint to mimic the tonal qualities of ink and wash. This print captures the atmospheric quality of the original sketch, maintaining the spontaneity of the pen strokes while translating them into a reproducible medium. The work offers a glimpse into the daily life of the seventeenth-century Dutch countryside, focusing on the mundane rather than the heroic. It remains a fine example of the eighteenth-century interest in preserving and disseminating the aesthetic qualities of earlier master drawings through technical experimentation.