Lot Essay
A similar view of Gibraltar appears in the background of three of Willaerts's paintings, but in closest relationship to the present drawing is the landscape shown in The Victory over the Spanish near Gibraltar by a fleet commanded by Admiral Jacob van Heemskerck on 25 April 1607, painted in 1617 (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; Fig. 1). A stylistically comparable drawing, showing a View of Tripoli, was sold at Sotheby's, Amsterdam, 5 November 2002, lot 102.
Fig. 1. Adam Willaerts, The Victory over the Spanish near Gibraltar, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum.
Fig. 1. Adam Willaerts, The Victory over the Spanish near Gibraltar, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum.