The Ruin of the Grote Kerk at Grave

Grave, 1676

The Ruin of the Grote Kerk at Grave

Object data

pen and black ink, with grey wash, over traces of graphite; ? later additions in watercolour; framing line in black ink

height 195 mm × width 150 mm

Inscriptions

inscribed by the artist: upper right, in black ink, tot Grave de 3 / 27 (date expressed as a fraction, month over day) 1676
inscribed: upper right, in black ink, 76
inscribed on verso, in graphite: lower left, 808 / V Clotz; below that, Ruine te Grave; below that, 777.; lower centre, V. Clotz / B 150 / H 196
stamped on verso: lower centre, with the mark of the museum (L. 2228)

Technical notes

watermark: foolscap with seven points

Provenance

…; from F. Muller (Amsterdam), fl. 17:50:-, to the museum (L. 2228), 1900

Object number: RP-T-1900-A-4362

The artist

Valentijn Klotz (c. 1646 - The Hague 1721)

Except for a death certificate in The Hague dated 15 November 1721,¹ no documents relating to his life are known. Klotz may have come from the province of Limburg, where his surname is recorded in the seventeenth century.² Biographical information is therefore based only on his dated drawings: the earliest, from 1667, was mentioned in Kramm, but its whereabouts are unknown³ and the last is in the Rijksmuseum’s collection (inv. no. RP-T-1894-A-2889), from 1718.⁴ In 1670, Klotz resided in Maastricht, where he likely met fellow draughtsman Josua de Grave (1643-1712). Together with Barend Klotz (?-?), his presumed brother or cousin who was an midshipman (adelborst) in the army, the three men accompanied the army of the Dutch States-General under the Stadholder Prince Willem III of Orange (1650-1702) on various campaigns. They were probably hired as individual draughtsmen, tasked to record the landscapes, cities, villages and encampments encountered along the way, including those around Bergen op Zoom (1671-early 1672), cities around the Dutch ‘waterlinie’ (1672) and various regions in the southern Netherlands and present-day Belgium (1674, 1675 and 1676).

Like Josua de Grave, Klotz probably settled in The Hague at some point; several drawings dating between 1673 and 1718 depict the city and its environs, among them two in the Rijksmuseum’s collection (inv. nos. RP-T-1894-A-2888 and RP-T-1894-A-2889).

Although as a draughtsman, he worked in a very similar style and technique to Barend Klotz and Josua de Grave, Valentijn seems to have had a somewhat more spontaneous approach. According to Gordon, Klotz’s subject-matter is also slightly more diverse, focusing more heavily on architectural elements.⁵ Only a few of Valentijn Klotz’s drawings are signed, only occasionally with his full name. He more often provided his drawings with a date and a short description of the location. His handwriting is quite irregular, somewhat sloppy and not very consistent. He did use a very recognizable capital letter ‘B’.⁶ Klotz built up his landscapes with thin brown lines, often on top of an initial quick sketch in graphite or black chalk. Compared to De Grave’s drawings, his pen strokes in brown ink are tighter, and he often used zigzags rather than loops. In a few instances, the drawing is worked out entirely in grey and black rather than brown ink (e.g. inv. no. RP-T-1888-A-1640). His rendering of trees is quite sketchy, using short strokes of the pen to suggest leaves, with grey washes often applied to establish their shape and volume. Some sheets in the Rijksmuseum have watercolour washes, probably applied by a later hand (e.g. inv. nos. RP-T-00-171 and RP-T-00-172).

Carolyn Mensing, 2019

References
R. van Eijnden and A. van der Willigen, ‘Klotz, Valentijn’, in U. Thieme and F. Becker, Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart, 37 vols., Leipzig 1907-50, XX (1927), pp. 549-50; R.J.G.M. van Hasselt, ‘Drie tekenaars van topografische prenten in Brabant en elders. Valentijn Klotz, Josua de Grave en Constantijn Huygens Jr.’, Jaarboek Oudheidkundige Kring ‘De Ghulden Roos’ 25 (1965), pp. 145-55; M.H. Breitbarth-van der Stok, ‘Josua de Grave, Valentinus Klotz en Bernardus Klotz’, Bulletin Koninklijke Nederlandse Oudheidkundige Bond 68 (1969), pp. 97-99; J.H. van Mosselveld and W.A. van Ham, Tekeningen van Bergen op Zoom. Topografische afbeeldingen van Bergen op Zoom en omgeving uit de zestiende tot en met de achttiende eeuw, exh. cat. Bergen op Zoom (Markiezenhof) 1973-74, pp. 15-18; G. Gordon, ‘Klotz, Valentijn’, in J. Turner (ed.), The Dictionary of Art, 34 vols., London/New York 1996, XVIII, pp. 140-41

Barend Klotz (? - ?)

Only one record, related to his position as a midshipman (adelborst) in the Dutch army, exists.⁷ The Klotz family may have come from the province of Limburg, where the surname was recorded in the seventeenth century.⁸ Barend was likely related to fellow draughtsman Valentijn Klotz (c. 1650-1721), who was probably a brother or cousin. Barend was part of the military company of Capt. Harderwijk (?-?), the leader of the naval department of the Dutch army, founded in Maastricht in 1668.⁹ In Maastricht, he likely met fellow draughtsman Josua de Grave (1643-1712). After being stationed in Bergen op Zoom (1671-early 1672), Barend and Valentijn Klotz and Josua de Grave accompanied the army during their campaigns in the southern Netherlands in 1672, 1674, 1675 and 1676.

Barend Klotz signed and dated his works only occasionally (e.g. inv. no. RP-T-00-736). Consequently, scholars seem to have been hesitant about attributing drawings to the artist. Furthermore, his style is very close to that of Valentijn Klotz and Josua de Grave. Based on the few inscriptions found on his sheets, Mosseveld and Van Ham were able to describe Barend Klotz’s handwriting and attribute a number of drawings of sites in Bergen op Zoom to the artist.¹⁰ Overall, his handwriting is neater than that of Valentijn, but not as consistent as that of Josua de Grave. His ‘w’, as well as his ‘p’ and ‘z’, are quite distinguishable; also noteworthy is his sparse use of capital letters.¹¹ Barend used a very distinct old-fashioned ‘e’, adding an additional loop through the ‘o’. Further, he included the words ‘geteekent de’ [accompanied with a date and place] on several of his drawings. Based on this information, various drawings in the Rijksmuseum’s collection could be (tentatively) reattributed to the artist.

Carolyn Mensing, 2020

References
R. van Eijnden and A. van der Willigen, ‘Klotz, Valentijn’, in U. Thieme and F. Becker, Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart, 37 vols., Leipzig 1907-50, XX (1927), pp. 549-50; R.J.G.M. van Hasselt, ‘Drie tekenaars van topografische prenten in Brabant en elders. Valentijn Klotz, Josua de Grave en Constantijn Huygens Jr.’, Jaarboek Oudheidkundige Kring ‘De Ghulden Roos’ 25 (1965), pp. 145-55; M.H. Breitbarth-van der Stok, ‘Josua de Grave, Valentinus Klotz en Bernardus Klotz’, Bulletin Koninklijke Nederlandse Oudheidkundige Bond 68 (1969), pp. 99-101; J.H. van Mosselveld and W.A. van Ham, Tekeningen van Bergen op Zoom. Topografische afbeeldingen van Bergen op Zoom en omgeving uit de zestiende tot en met de achttiende eeuw, exh. cat. Bergen op Zoom (Markiezenhof) 1973-74, pp. 15-18; G. Gordon, ‘Klotz, Valentijn’, in J. Turner (ed.), The Dictionary of Art, 34 vols., London/New York 1996, XVIII, pp. 140-41 ; P. Groenendijk, Beknopt biografisch lexicon van Zuid- en Noord-Nederlandse schilders, graveurs, glasschilders, tapijtwevers et cetera van ca. 1350 tot ca. 1720, Leiden 2008, p. 466

Entry

The city of Grave in the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant has a turbulent history, and it changed hands several times during the Eighty Year’s War (1568-1648) and after. In 1672, the ‘disaster year’, Grave was taken by the French troops under the command of Marshal General of France, Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne (1611-1675). The city was retaken by the Dutch troops on 29 October 1675, after a three-month siege. The heavy battles left the city in ruins.¹²
Between 1674 and 1676, both Valentijn Klotz and Josua de Grave (1643-1712) made several drawings of Grave.¹³ They depicted the city from various angles, and sometimes they copied each other’s work.

The present sheet depicts the interior of the ruined church, with the shattered organ still hanging on the wall. Much like inv. no. RP-T-00-172, the drawing was probably coloured by a later hand. The drawing style, using bolder black ink lines, and the prominent focus on the architecture are characteristics usually associated to Valentijn Klotz. That being said, the inscription reveals more similarities with the handwriting of Barend Klotz, who used the old-fashioned ‘e’ (which looks like an ‘o’ with a loop through its centre). The drawing also includes a number in black ink in the upper right corner: the Rijksmuseum’s collection includes several similar-sized sheets that bear such a number. These drawings depict specific sites, most often seen from a distance. It is thought that they were part of sketchbooks that the artist or artists kept during their travels. Unfortunately, the authorship of these sheets could not be established with certainty. It is possible that Valentijn Klotz, Barend Klotz (?-?) and Josua de Grave (1643-1712) all kept sketchbooks and numbered the folios. Furthermore, it is possible that the artist(s) added the inscriptions at a later date, perhaps even on each other’s drawings, which further complicates their attribution.

Carolyn Mensing, 2019

Literature

R.J.G.M. van Hasselt, ‘Drie tekenaars van topografische prenten in Brabant en elders. Valentijn Klotz, Josua de Grave en Constantijn Huygens Jr.’, Jaarboek Oudheidkundige Kring ‘De Ghulden Roos’ 25 (1965), pp. 145-92, no. 122 (as Valentijn Klotz)

Citation

C. Mensing, 2019, 'attributed to Valentijn Klotz, The Ruin of the Grote Kerk at Grave, Grave, 1676-03-27', in J. Turner (ed.), Dutch Drawings of the Seventeenth Century in the Rijksmuseum, online coll. cat. Amsterdam: hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.54284

(accessed 18 June 2025 17:21:43).

Footnotes

¹ M.H. Breitbarth-van der Stok, ‘Josua de Grave, Valentinus Klotz en Bernardus Klotz’, Bulletin Koninklijke Nederlandse Oudheidkundige Bond 68 (1969), p. 105.
² G. Gordon, ‘Klotz, Valentijn’, in J. Turner (ed.), The Dictionary of Art, 34 vols., London/New York 1996, XVIII, p. 140.
³ ‘Een ruiine van eene kerk, uitmuntend fraai, met Sapveren door Clotz 1667’; cf. C. Kramm, De levens en werken der Hollandsche en Vlaamsche kunstschilders, beeldhouwers, graveurs en bouwmeesters van den vroegsten tot op onzen tijd, 7 vols., Amsterdam 1857-64, I (1857), pp. 244-45.
⁴ M.H. Breitbarth-van der Stok, ‘Josua de Grave, Valentinus Klotz en Bernardus Klotz’, Bulletin Koninklijke Nederlandse Oudheidkundige Bond 68 (1969), pp. 98, 105, no. 324.
⁵ G. Gordon, ‘Klotz, Valentijn’, in J. Turner (ed.), The Dictionary of Art, 34 vols., London/New York 1996, XVIII, pp. 140-41.
⁶ J.H. van Mosselveld and W.A. van Ham, Tekeningen van Bergen op Zoom. Topografische afbeeldingen van Bergen op Zoom en omgeving uit de zestiende tot en met de achttiende eeuw, exh. cat. Bergen op Zoom (Markiezenhof) 1973-74, pp. 15-17.
⁷ In a notary act, dated 17 February 1672 and signed in Bergen op Zoom, he is referred to as ‘Barnardus Clotz, adelborst onder de compagnie van d’heer capitein Harderwijk’; cf. J.H. van Mosselveld and W.A. van Ham, Tekeningen van Bergen op Zoom. Topografische afbeeldingen van Bergen op Zoom en omgeving uit de zestiende tot en met de achttiende eeuw, exh. cat. Bergen op Zoom (Markiezenhof) 1973-74, p. 17.
⁸ G. Gordon, ‘Klotz, Barend’, in J. Turner (ed.), The Dictionary of Art, 34 vols., London/New York 1996, XVIII, pp. 140-41.
⁹ J.H. van Mosselveld and W.A. van Ham, Tekeningen van Bergen op Zoom. Topografische afbeeldingen van Bergen op Zoom en omgeving uit de zestiende tot en met de achttiende eeuw, exh. cat. Bergen op Zoom (Markiezenhof) 1973-74, p. 17.
¹⁰ Ibid., pp. 15-17.
¹¹ Ibid.
¹² J. Turner and Robert-Jan te Rijdt (eds.), Home and Abroad: Dutch and Flemish Landscape Drawings from the John and Marine van Vlissingen Art Foundation, exh. cat. Amsterdam (Rijksmuseum)/Paris (Fondation Custodia) 2015-16 , no. 62.
¹³ Hasselt includes nineteen drawings attributed to Valentijn Klotz and seven to De Grave: R.J.G.M. van Hasselt, ‘Drie tekenaars van topografische prenten in Brabant en elders. Valentijn Klotz, Josua de Grave en Constantijn Huygens Jr.’, Jaarboek Oudheidkundige Kring ‘De Ghulden Roos’25 (1965), pp. 145-92, nos. 119-48.