Signed and partially inscribed in pen and brown ink on the verso Bemel del: No[ribergae], black chalk and grey wash, watermark encircled anchor beneath a star, grey wash framing lines

440 x 665 mm (17 3/8 x 26 1/8 in.)

Willem was the younger brother of the landscape painter Jacob Gerritsz van Bemmel (1628-1673) in Utrecht, who both studied under Herman Saftleven in the years 1645-7. Willem travelled to Italy, spending first the years 1647-9 in Venice, 1649-53 in Rome, with trips to Naples, and then spending some time in London before moving to Kassel during the period 1656-62. In 1662 he moved to Augsburg for a short time before moving to Nuremberg, where he married and settled. He is known for his Italianate landscapes. He was the father of the German von Bemmel painting family of Nuremberg.

Our drawing is a particularly large drawing by the artist and probably dated from later in the artists career.