Anthonie Waterloo began by sketching from nature in black chalk, later adding wash in the studio to evoke light, shade and mood. The sombre, moisture-laden atmosphere of the Dutch winter is summoned here by the crisp outlines of leafless trees against an overcast sky. This and a series of related drawings were almost certainly commissioned by the Amsterdam merchant Dirck van der Cooghen, owner of the Spruytenburg estate adjacent to Sluysoort Manor – of which the fenced garden is visible at the far left. Born in France, Waterloo worked mainly in Amsterdam and Utrecht, where he achieved considerable success with his landscape prints.
