POTTER, Paulus
(b. 1625, Enkhuizen, d. 1654, Amsterdam)

Deer in the Wood

1647
Black chalk, 240 x 318 mm
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Potter's close observation of deer and other animals could only be the outcome of long and sympathetic study from life. This drawing is certainly benefited from his sketching out-of-doors, nevertheless, in finish, scale, and composition it is clearly a product of the studio, a signed and dated (lower left) work made for the appreciation of a connoisseur.