From Scribble to Cartoon - Drawings from Bruegel to Rubens

Catalogue of the exhibition Scribble to Cartoon - Drawings from Bruegel to Rubens, presented at the Plantin-Moretus Museum, Antwerp, Belgium (17 November 2023 - 18 February 2024).

The Flemish collections contain drawings of the highest quality. The Flemish government recently included several 16th and 17th century drawings on the list of Flemish masterpieces. These include rare drawings by Bruegel, Rubens, Van Dyck Jordaens, Jan Fyt and other masters.

These are outstanding works of art that cannot be ignored, such as the rare drawings by Paul Vredeman de Vries that will be rediscovered in 2019, as well as works by Joris Hoefnagel, Hendrick van Balen and Johannes Stradanus.

Following on from this recognition, the museum is showcasing its unique collection of drawings by presenting an overview that illustrates the practice of the art of drawing in Flanders during the 16th and 17th centuries.

The publication focusses on the drawings subjects and compositions but also on how and why they were created and why an artist chose specific materials, techniques, formats and even sizes.

It provides a framework to allow to see drawings in the functional context for which they were created. Renowned specialists in Flemish drawing discuss rare artworks by famous draughtsmen as Frans Floris, Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony Van Dyck, Jacques Jordaens, Otto van Veen, Jan Fijt but also hidden treasures such as the 10 meters long Panorama of Zeeland by Antoon van den Wijngaerde, a sketchbook of the 12 years old Rubens, recently discovered drawings by Hans Vredeman de Vries, the extremely rare Italy-sketchbooks by the sculptor Pieter Verbruggen and a newly discovered book-illustration design by Rubens for the Plantin Press.