The present sheet, according to Egbert Haverkamp-Begemann, is in the style of the Flemish artist Abraham Genoels II. The artist primarily produced portraits and landscapes. He also designed tapestries and worked for the Gobelins, which was then under the direction of Charles Le Brun (1619-1690), to whom Genoels had been introduced. Genoels became an assistant to Le Brun and he worked on several royal commissions in that capacity, including painting background lanscapes in a conventional style for the History of Alexander (Paris, Musée du Louvre).
In 1674 Genoels travelled with Peeter Verbrugghen (1609-1686) to Rome, where he was initated into the Schildersbent (the society of northern painters in Rome) and given the name 'Archimedes' for his mastery of perspective. During his eight years in Rome, Genoels produced a number of working sketches, and it is possible that this sheet is from his tenure in Rome.
McCrindle, Joseph F., former owner.