Capriccio of a Bridge with the Arcus Argentariorum by a Mediterranean Harbor

Johannes Abrahamsz Beerstraten

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

One of several drawings by Beerstraten of real monuments in invented contexts, this sheet features Rome’s Arcus Argentariorum, an ancient arch (probably originally an urban gate) that was, in the seventh century, incorporated into a wall of the church of San Giorgio al Velabro. Here, the structure, overgrown with vines, becomes part of a bridge situated at the point where a river feeds into a harbor. The extensive and vigorous application of graphite over the black chalk is unusual; until the eighteenth century, graphite was more commonly used for underdrawing, but artists in the seventeenth century did occasionally employ it to reinforce contour lines, such as the outlines of the stones and the carvings on the arch seen here. Whether Beerstraten’s Mediterranean views are based on his direct exposure to Italy or only on sketches by other artists, namely Johannes Lingelbach, is not known. He is also known for his topographical views of Norway and Switzerland and for views of the local Dutch landscape (see 11.92).

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.

Metropolitan Museum of Art