Saenredam made his construction drawings for
eventual use in paintings. According to the inscription
on the Museum's sheet, the painting after it (Warsaw,
Muzeum Naradowe) was completed on October 15,- The drawing is blackened on the verso and incised
throughout for direct transfer to the panel, save for the
near side of the right-hand framing pier, which appears
to have been folded back before the transfer took place.
The artist continued to make changes during the transfer,
including the stylus lines raising the height of the central
window, which he then followed in the painting. Further
alterations, including the elimination of the right fram-
ing pier and several centimeters of the vaulting at the top,
occur in the panel itself, which is considerably smaller
than the drawing (34 by 28 centimeters). The end result
transforms the original effect of the drawing from a deep,
spacious vista into an intriguing grid of superimposed,
rather flattened shapes.^1
i. As noted by A. Wheelock, in Perspective, Optics and Delft Art-
ists around 1650 (New York, 1977), p. 230.246 DUTCH SCHOOL • SAENREDAM