This book presents highlights from the collection of Maida and George Abrams, arguably the finest private collection of Dutch seventeenth-century drawings in the world. The works range from studies by renowned masters - including Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Rembrandt van Rijn, Jacob van Ruisdael, Jacques de Gheyn II, Hendrick Goltzius, Hendrick Avercamp, among others - to drawings by lesser-known draftsmen whose contributions are essential to understanding the art of the period.

Historians and art historians provide a critique of existing methodologies and an interdisciplinary inquiry into seventeenth-century Dutch art and culture.

The purpose of this volume is to introduce the reader to the pleasure of looking at master drawings. Through forty-five spectacular works of art, each shown in full and with an enlarged detail, the book simulates the experience of looking at a drawing through a magnifying glass: we can see the techniques and materials used and get close to the artist's creativity. They are roughly ordered by date and were chosen for inclusion because, in addition to yielding beautiful details, they encompass a wide variety of media and techniques. Accompanying short texts highlight particular aspects of each work; italicized technical terms are explained in an accessible and informative glossary at the back. Works by some of the greatest masters of the craft--Leonardo da Vinci, Dürer, Raphael, Rembrandt, Ingres, Goya, Seurat, and Van Gogh--are included. The reader will gain insights into why artists made drawings, how they used the media available to them--including red chalk, watercolor, pen and ink, and pastel--and their techniques, such as hatching, stumping, squaring, and heightening. This beautiful and unpretentious book will have a wide appeal and will be especially invaluable for art students, practicing artists, and those who study art and art history.