'Ectypa' of Ploos van Amstel: Interior of a tavern

Cornelis Ploos van Amstel (1726-1798) was a painter, printmaker, teacher, entrepreneur and one of the most important art collectors from the Netherlands. Besides collecting drawings, he was also interested in the scientific aspect of printmaking and experimented constantly in seeking new techniques to make etchings in a drawing like style that reproduced his important collection. He experimented with printing in colour from several plates; indeed, he can be called a real inventor and brought the technique of printing to a new level. Ploos van Amstel worked with other printmakers who were obliged to keep the newly invented techniques secret. His working methods have, however, been revealed by Th. Laurentius et al., and catalogued in the work Cornelis Ploos van Amstel Kunstverzamelaar en prentuitgever (1980).

Ploos van Amstel combined etching, aquatint and mezzotint into his fascimiles of old master drawings ('prenttekening') and himself published 46 of them in 21 different sets between 1765-1787, in editions of 350 impressions called 'Ectypa'. He uses brown ink to give it a similar feel to the original on which this work was based, a pen and wash drawing by the famous Flemish master of low life genre, Adriaen Brouwer, which is located in the British Museum. The theme seems pretty much self-explanatory - a drunken fellow has passed out in a tavern, but still heroically clings to his beer-jug. Many Australasians would empathise. In the background, three other peasants are in their cups. Our print is one of two by this artist in the collection; both are in the so-called King George IV album, acquired by the Dominion Museum in 1910 (see also Te Papa 1910-0001-1/33-80). 

Sources:

British Museum Collection online, https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=712260&partId=1&searchText=18 95,0915.1133.&page=1

---- https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3155122&partId=1&searchText=ect ypa+ploos&page=1

Old Master Prints, 'Printdrawings after Rembrandt', http://www.oldmasterprint.com/ploossrembrandt.htm

Dr Mark Stocker   Curator, Historical International Art   April 2019