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After receiving an initial artistic education in his hometown of Hamburg, Matthias Scheits obtained an apprenticeship in the workshop of the famous Philips Wouwerman (1619 - 1668) in Haarlem. The works of Adriaen van Ostade and David Teniers also had a strong influence on the development of the young painter. In general, the Dutch School should remaine decisive for the stylistics and thematics of Matthias Scheits’ oeuvre throughout his life.
The sheet presented here is just as typical as illustrious an example for this style. In 1651, the artist returned to the Elbe and founded his own atelier in Hamburg. In addition to numerous paintings, 152 drawings for the illustration of a copperplate Bible edition, published in 1672 by Stern in Lüneburg, originated there; today, these are considered his most important works. Most of these drawings, like the majority of Matthias Scheits’ artistic legacy, are today located in the collection of the Kunsthalle in Hamburg.