Dutch painter, draughtsman*, calligrapher* and printmaker* of German origin, Ludolf Backhuysen I was the son of Gerhard Backhusz (Bakhuizen) of Emden, and he trained as a clerk in his native town.  Shortly before 1650, he joined the Bartolotti trading house in Amsterdam, where his fine handwriting attracted attention. He practiced calligraphy* throughout his life, and during his early years in Amsterdam he also displayed his skilled use of the pen in drawings, mainly marine scenes, done in black ink on prepared canvas, panel or parchment.

He probably derived this technique and subject matter from Willem van de Velde the Elder's pen drawings of the 1650s.  Bakhuizen continued to produce pen drawings until the 1660s, some depicting re...