Govert Flinck
Cleves 1615 – 1660 Amsterdamseated nude, a study for the figure of Calisto


Jacob Backer and Govert Flinck’s drawings on blue paper of naked ladies, were of the same models, the notorious Van Wullen sisters, who ran a famous huys on the Lauriergracht in Amsterdam, close to where Flinck’s “Schilderhuys” was located.
There is a drawing in the Abrams Collection by Backer of a nude that can be compared with a drawing done by Flinck at the same time with an identical pose. In the catalogue of the Abrams Collection, Bill Robinson describes the differences between the two artists in their drawing styles. Backer’s nudes concentrate on the rhythmic lines and surface effects, Flinck’s are more modeled accentuating the figure’s mass and weight.
In a letter dated 18th June 2006, Werner Sumowski attributes the drawing to Govert Flink and compares it to 'a seated nude woman as Diana' in the Abrams Collection.