Gilles van Berlaymont, baron van Hierges, wordt te Amsterdam ingehaald, 1574 1722 - 1784

Simon Fokke made this drawing around 1774, using pen and brown ink, brush, and gray wash on paper. The quick, light strokes suggest that it was made rapidly, perhaps even on site. The artist seems more interested in capturing the event's atmosphere, rather than a polished final product. The visible layering of the gray wash gives depth to the city streets and the crowd, drawing us into the historical moment. Fokke was a prolific printmaker, so this drawing may have been a preliminary sketch for a more refined engraving. Think of the division of labor that printmaking entailed: Fokke would have first had to create a detailed drawing, then transfer that image to a metal plate, and finally, engrave the design with specialized tools. These tools would have been produced by other artisans in turn. The print could then be reproduced and distributed widely, making historical events like this accessible to a broad audience. So, even in its unfinished state, this drawing gives us a glimpse into the collaborative processes that shaped popular understanding of history in the 18th century.