A Farm Building mid-to late 17th century Emanuel Murant Dutch The keen observation of architectural detail for which Amsterdam painter Emanuel Murant was known was largely the result of his drawing practice. In this sheet, likely made in front of the motif (naar het leven), rapid strokes of black chalk and gray wash capture the varied textures of the rough-hewn wooden planks, thatched roof, and sprawling bushes. A structure with a similar roof and gable, though in apparently better condition, appears in a painting by Murant known from a photograph.1(JSS, 8/24/2018)1 See Walter Liedtke, “Murant and His Milieu: A Biography of Emanuel Murant, the “Rustic Forerunner of Jan van der Heyden,” in In His Milieu: Essays on Netherlandish Art in Memory of John Michael Montias, ed. Amy Golahny et al. (Amsterdam University Press, 2006), p. 234, fig. 1.. A Farm Building 641165