Graphics

Bramer was an extraordinarily prolific draftsman, not only by Delft standards but also by comparison with most other artists who were working in the northern Netherlands at the time. Apart from some genre representations, he was exclusively a history painter. His drawn oeuvre largely consists of sequences of illustrations based primarily on the Bible but also on classical and more or less contemporary literature. Bramer's series, which often fill 50 sheets, include the Old Testament, the New Testament, The Life of Alexander the Great, Livy's History of Rome, Virgil's Aeneid, Ovid's Metamorphoses, Francisco Quevedo's Spanish Dreams, and the anonymous Life of Lazarillo of Tormes and Tyl Eulenspiegel. Bramer made these unique series throughout his career. They reflect his artistic development from the early rapid brush drawings characterized by dramatic light and shade to the late, meticulously finished, and evenly lit coloured sheets.

In addition to the sequential illustrations, Bramer's oeuvre on paper consists of preparatory drawings for all kind of projects he was working on, such as large interior decorations that include murals in true fresco and illusionistic ceiling paintings. As most of these large-scale projects have vanished, it is above all through his drawings that we can gain an idea of this aspect of his artistic personality. Bramer also made designs for tapestries and earthenware.