Pieter de Molyn (1595–1661)
Landscape with Travelers on a Road
mid-1650s
Red chalk over black chalk, with gray and brown wash
Samuel Courtauld Trust: Witt Bequest, 1952
This signed sheet, most likely conceived as an independent work, presents a landscape typical of the environs of Haarlem. The distinctly Dutch setting is marked by a winding country road leading travelers to the nearby dunes that define the region's coastline. Combining red and black chalk with pale wash, Molyn explores the possibilities for rendering light and shadow in a limited color palette.