This catalogue is the first to feature the entire collection of Spanish drawings of the Hamburger Kunsthalle. Some of these works were already known on account of their outstanding importance and had been exhibited on several occasions; a thorough study had yet to be conducted of the collection, its history and problems of attribution.

The holdings of this German museum feature works by the foremost Spanish masters of the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, from Juan de Juanes to Francisco de Goya, including the greatest artists of the Golden Age, among them Carducho, Francisco de Herrera the Elder, Alonso Cano, Antonio del Castillo and Murillo.

The English version of the book is accompanying the exhibition of a selection of pieces at the Meadows Museum in Dallas (May–August 2014); the Spanish version has been produced for the second venue of this exhibition, the Museo Nacional del Prado (October 2014–February 2015).

The CEEH and the CSA have collaborated on the publication of the catalogue in both cases.

The main author, Jens Hoffmann-Samland, is an independent art historian specialised in Spanish Golden Age art.

“Although the Hamburg drawings have long been known, this is their first treatment as a group, and the catalogue brings the scholarship on them up to date”, John Marciari, Master Drawings

“The catalogue and exhibition open the way for an understanding of these Spanish masters’ draughtsmanship and technique, as well as providing evidence for the collection’s origins and history”, Zahira Véliz, The Burlington Magazine

“[La primera investigación] en profundidad llevada a cabo del conjunto ha desembocado en la publicación (en inglés y español, con el apoyo del Centro de Estudios Europa Hispánica) de un catálogo razonado”, Iker Seisdedos, El País

“Un catálogo razonado sobre diversas cuestiones que plantea la disciplina artística del dibujo, como el problema de la autenticidad, su evolución a lo largo de los siglos, su función como medio de expresión, el proceso creativo o su uso como ensayo antes de proceder a una obra de mayor dimensión”, Descubrir el Arte