View of an harbor

The German etcher and painter Johann Wilhelm Baur is celebrated for his miniatures and etchings, particularly for his innovative vedute, which had lasting influence in Germany and Austria. He was from a family of goldsmiths and trained in the Strasbourg workshop of Friedrich Brentel. Baur is recorded in Rome in the 1630s where he began producing miniature vedute and established himself among aristocratic patrons including the Duke of Bracciano and Ferdinando Colonna. Baur pioneered the veduta ideale in miniature format which combined, like in this gouache, observed details with imagined elements.

Dr. Regina Bonnefoit has kindly confirmed the attribution of this work.