Born in Alkmaar in 1621, Allart van Everdingen was a student of Roelant Savery and Pieter Molijn and the younger brother of the history painter Caesar van Everdingen (1616/17-1678). From 1640 to 1644 Allart traveled to Sweden and Norway where he drew the mountainous landscapes he observed. In addition to Scandinavian views, he painted and drew animals, marine scenes and townscapes. Everdingen was primarily responsible for introducing to Holland a tradition of mountainous landscape painting which served as a model for the monumental landscapes of artists including Jacob van Ruisdael.
The majority of Everdingen’s drawings were not preparatory for paintings, but were created as independent works of art. Comparable drawings of trees by the artist are A Pine Tree with two Foresters (Prentenkabinet Universiteit Leiden, inv. no. AW 11), and A Willow Tree with two Fishermen (Kupferstichkabinett, Berlin, inv. no. KdZ 2345).
