Design for a frontispiece: Allegory of the City of Amsterdam Enthroned, Surrounded by Allegorical Figures, ca. 1767

About the Work

The merchant Cornelis Ploos van Amstel of Amsterdam was a prominent connoisseur and collector of art. He was also active in drawing societies, where he gave lectures on art history and engaged in drawing himself. Most of his works in this medium are designs for book illustrations, in this case the frontispiece to a monumental treatise on the history of the City of Amsterdam. Ploos was a master at using the brush and chalk to distribute light and shade in such a way as to guide the engraver in translating the shaded areas into hatching.