Michiel van Overbeek

Michiel van Overbeek was a European draftsman active during the mid-to-late 17th century, documented across the period of 1645 to 1699. His surviving body of work demonstrates a focus on detailed topographical studies and landscapes, capturing significant urban and architectural views across major European centers.

The verifiable quality of Van Overbeek's draftsmanship is established by the inclusion of his pieces in authoritative international institutions, including the Rijksmuseum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Six drawings attributed to the artist are currently documented in these museum collections.

Van Overbeek's known subjects document a wide geographic range. Italian views include detailed drawings of Roman landmarks such as The Pyramid of Cestius, Rome, View in Rome near the Colosseum, and the complex scene Gezicht op de S. Maria in Cosmedin, de Vesta tempel en de Ponte S. Maria te Rome. The artist also documented locations outside of Italy, evidenced by the French subject View of the Rhone river near Saint-Genis-Laval, south of Lyons, and the London view Hydepark te Londen. These historical records survive as essential references for 17th-century geography. Today, museum-quality images of Michiel van Overbeek prints are often made available for study, sometimes as high-quality prints for collectors.