Featuring eighty of the most beautiful old master drawings held in Flemish public and private collections, this book provides a stunning overview of the art of drawing in the Southern Netherlands in the 16th and 17th centuries. Rather than adopting a traditional approach that emphasises style and attributions, the authors break new ground by taking the drawings' function as a point of departure. The reader is challenged to look beyond what is represented and engage with fundamental questions : Why were these works created ? How is their form shaped by function ? And how did this function shift over time ? Arranged in three groups - study, design, and independent drawings - the catalogue also delves into how drawing began to emerge from its role as handmaiden to painting, sculpture, and the decorative arts to become an art form in its own right, cherished by artists and connoisseurs alike.