12.5 Conclusion
These annotated copy drawings are extremely interesting even though their purpose and context of origin still remain a mystery. The only thing we know is that a certain A(e)lbrecht was copying the work of foremost Antwerp landscape painters from 1590 until 1598 in both Frankenthal and Amsterdam. These drawings have almost the same measurements and therefore may once have formed a sketchbook. Also the consistent numbering, especially on the versos, points in this direction. Further research on this copyist and his work is most certainly required.
It is rather complex that the handwriting between the copies with the inscription on the verso differs so drastically with the ones with the inscription on the recto. I do not exclude the possibility that the second group, of which there are fewer than the first group, are copies of the ‘Albrecht copies’ which had their inscription originally on the verso.
The copies after Van Coninxloo provide us with images of unknown artworks by him, which could help with future attributions. Regarding Van Coninxloo’s period in Frankenthal, we can now be certain that he produced multiple paintings or drawings, which made an impression on his students, and perhaps on buyers elsewhere. Also the mentioning of Frankenthal in the inscriptions is surprisingly explicit, as we read what was made in Frankenthal, and who went to Frankenthal. This indicates that this city must have had some sort of artistic reputation abroad as its name was used as a sort of trademark, which the copyist viewed as worth of mention.