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| Pieter Lastman Ruins of the Forum of Nerva, Rome 1606 drawing Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |
"July 11, 2012 – Acquisition – Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum – At the Christie's London auction of old master drawings in early July, the Rijksmuseum purchased a landscape drawing by Pieter Lastman, Rembrandt's master, representing Nerva's forum seen from the temple of Minerva, dating from 1606 during his stay in Rome which took place between 1603 and 1607. There is only one other view of Rome by the artist which is known today, the Palatine Hill [directly below], also dated 1606 and currently held in a private collection."
– from the defunct online journal, La Tribune de l'Art
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| Pieter Lastman View of the Palatine Hill 1606 drawing private collection (Cologne, Germany) |
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| Pieter Lastman Adoration of the Shepherds (after painting by Paolo Veronese copied in Venice) ca. 1606 drawing Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge |
"The only other other surviving drawing by Lastman from his time in Italy is a copy after a painting by Paolo Veronese, The Adoration of the Shepherds. The painting hung in the chapel of the Church of the Crociferi in Venice, but is now in San Giovanni e Paolo. Like many artists, Lastman probably visited Venice on his way back north. . . . There are no paintings and only three known drawings by Lastman dating from the period before his visit to Italy: Hagar in the Wilderness of 1601 and two drawings [directly below] of a Standing Oriental figure in a landscape of 1603. They reveal the Mannerist drawing style of his teacher Gerrit Pieteresz. The drawings from Italy are quite different; the style is simpler and the swelling and tapering pen strokes have been replaced by a more regular pattern of fine lines, short strokes and small dots. This style was influenced by other Dutch and Flemish artists working in Rome, of whom Paul Bril was the most prominent."
– Peter Schatborn, from the catalogue of a 2001 exhibition at the Rijksmuseum, published in English as Drawn to Warmth: 17th-century Dutch artists in Italy, translated by Lynne Richards
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| Pieter Lastman Standing Oriental figure in a landscape 1603 drawing Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |
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| Pieter Lastman Standing Oriental figure in a landscape 1603 drawing Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |
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| Pieter Lastman Study of a bearded and turbaned man carrying a chest ca. 1625-30 drawing Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Pieter Lastman Half-length study of nude model before 1633 drawing Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |
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| Claes Jansz Visscher after Pieter Lastman Dress of Venetian Ladies (from series of Italian Costumes) before 1633 etching British Museum |
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| Claes Jansz Visscher after Pieter Lastman Dress of a noble couple of Florence (from series of Italian Costumes) before 1633 etching British Museum |
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| Pieter Lastman Design for a Ewer (Cupid on neck, Lobsters below, with men and women bathing in the centre) ca. 1610 etching Victoria & Albert Museum, London |
"The son of a goldsmith, Pieter Lastman became known as one of the most important artists of his day for his ability to paint small cabinet pictures. At the age of nineteen, Lastman went to Italy, where he spent five years. After he returned to his native Amsterdam, his painting style exhibited striking changes. He began to use strong contrasts of light and shade that intensified the drama of the scene and to specialize in narrative subjects from the Bible, mythology, and Roman history. His reform of history painting in Amsterdam in the 1600s – presenting well-characterized figures at the dramatic climax of a story – and his role as Rembrandt's teacher ensured his fame during his lifetime. His paintings commanded high prices, and his name was mentioned as one of Amsterdam's most important painters in a 1618 hymn celebrating the arts of the city."
– curator's notes from the Getty Museum, Los Angeles
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| Pieter Lastman Triumph of Sesostris 1631 oil on panel Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco |
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| Pieter Lastman Orestes and Pylades disputing at the altar 1614 oil on panel Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |
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| Pieter Lastman Odysseus and Nausicaa 1619 oil on panel Alte Pinakothek, Munich |
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| Pieter Lastman Juno discovering Jupiter with Io 1618 oil on panel National Gallery, London |
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| Pieter Lastman The Angel and Tobias with the Fish ca. 1610-20 oil on panel Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest |
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| Pieter Lastman Wedding Night of Tobias and Sarah 1611 oil on panel Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |
"The Book of Tobit, part of the Roman Catholic Bible, recounts the story of Tobias, whose guardian angel, Raphael, guides him through the trials of his life. Following the angel's advice, Tobias burns the heart and liver of a giant fish in order to drive off a demon who threatens his life on his wedding night. From the bed Sarah watches her husband with concern, as Raphael wrestles with the demon overhead. The legend of Tobias would become a favorite subject of Lastman's most famous pupil, Rembrandt."
– curator's notes from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston