Hermanus Petrus Schouten (Amsterdam 1747-1822 Haarlem)

The son of Johannes Schouten (see previous two lots), Hermanus Petrus was himself a gifted artist specialising in topographical views of Amsterdam like his father. Hermanus' highly finished watercolours showing views of Amsterdam were made directly for the market and are among the most accomplished Dutch topographical drawings from the 18th Century. Besides these, the artist made less worked-out pen and grey wash drawings, which often served as designs for prints. The present sheet is such a drawing, made for Pieter Fouquet's Atlas of Amsterdam, first published in 1778. The print follows the drawing closely overall, but there are some differences in the figures, like the knife-grinder which was added to the composition in the print. For the hundred views of Amsterdam published in the atlas, Hermanus provided no fewer than 65 designs. For more on Hermanus' drawings, see B. Gerlagh et al., Kijk Amsterdam 1700-1800. De mooiste stadsgezichten, exhib. cat., Amsterdam, Stadsarchief, 2017, nos. 102-171, ill.