Studies van ridderspoor, anjer en Oostindische kers 1677 - 1755

Elias van Nijmegen made these Studies van ridderspoor, anjer en Oostindische kers using watercolor on paper. The wispy strokes of the watercolor give the plants a delicate, almost ethereal quality. But consider the paper itself – handmade, in an era before industrial production really took hold. Each sheet would have been unique, bearing the marks of the vatman who pulled the pulp, and the coucher who pressed out the excess water. Even the sizing, usually a gelatin made from animal hides, contributed to the final character of the surface. The relative scarcity of good paper in the 17th and 18th centuries meant that every mark mattered. Sketches like these were often made in preparation for larger, more elaborate compositions, perhaps tapestries or murals. The labor involved in these large-scale projects would have been considerable, involving teams of artisans working under the direction of masters like van Nijmegen. So, next time you see a watercolor, think about the layered processes of its making – not just the artist’s touch, but the many hands that contributed to the material substrate itself.