Paulus van Liender

A native of Utrecht, van Liender may have learned to draw from his uncle, Jacobus van Liender, a physician and draftsman of Arcadian landscapes and topographic views. He later studied drawing with Cornelis Pronk in Amsterdam where he was sent to work at a merchant’s office. There Paulus van Liender befriended Jan de Beyer, with whom he traveled throughout Holland to make topographic views. As a topographer, his most important creations were the prints he made for the atlas Het verheerlykt Nederland of kabinet van hedendaagsche gezigten. Around 1760 he moved to Haarlem. He first worked there as a lumber merchant and then from 1779 to 1794, he was the chief collector of wine taxes. The latter occupation gave him greater free time. Paulus van Liender was able to devote himself more completely to drawing and even painting.