Signed P.r Barbiers on the verso

Pen and grey ink and watercolour, and touches of gum arabic, pen and grey ink borders

438 x 534 mm. (17 x 21 in.)

SOLD TO BARBER INSTITUTE OF FINE ARTS, BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.

Pieter Anthoniesz came from a family that included five artists1, and he should not be confused with his relations who worked at a similar time and style. Pieter Anthoniesz worked as a painter, draughtsman and engraver, though none of his paintings survive. He had a wall paper factory and designed decorations for rooms and gardens. He was particularly interested in theatre, and his stage designs were used by theatres in Amsterdam, Leiden, The Hague and Rotterdam. Some of his work for the theatre was engraved by Caspar Phillips, Cornelis Bogerts, Pieter Langendijk and A. Smit. Barbiers occasionally did his own engravings and also played several musical instruments, wrote for the stage and was reputed to be a skillful conjurer. His pupils included Johannes Petrus van Horstock, Jan Kamphuysen and Jan Hulswit.

1.Pieter Anthoniesz Barbiers had two children who became artists, Pieter Barbiers Pzn (1749-1842) and Bartholomeus (1740-1808). Bartholomeus had an artist son called Pieter (1772-1837), who passed on the name to his son Pieter (1798-1848).