Pieter Quast’s drawings in the collection of the State Hermitage Museum

Abstract

The article analyses five drawings by the Dutch painter Pieter Quast (circa 1606– 1647) from the collection of the State Hermitage Museum. The sheets shown are unpublished. They are executed in the artist’s characteristic technique: in black chalk on vellum; some sheets are signed and dated. They come from three different collections, four of the drawings came into the museum in the 18th century and one is a late acquisition and was purchased in 1972. The little-known master’s diverse body of work is represented in museum collections and private collections mainly by graphic material, including numerous drawings. The artist’s passion for drawing seems to have also been caused by his poor financial situation. Although Quast’s biography is known in fragments, published archival materials reveal the artist’s complex creative path. A study of his works from the national collection confirms their authorship and gives grounds for speculation about the reading of the subjects. The themes chosen by the master are inextricably linked with the pictorial tradition: the work of the 16th century masters, in particular Pieter Bruegel the Elder, and Quast’s contemporaries Adriaen Braouwer, Adriaen van Ostade and others. The artist relied heavily on theatrical representations, both biblical and humorous folk sketches, as an important source of inspiration. This research paper analyses the master’s drawings both in terms of iconography and using the formal and stylistic method, using comparative analysis and putting the works in line with the artist’s other famous works.