The Old Master drawings collected by Frits Lugt, then by the successive directors of the Fondation Custodia, constitute one of the largest collections of drawings in private hands, in number and in quality. Frits Lugt focused particularly on Dutch and Flemish drawings (fifteenth to eighteenth centuries), Italian (fifteenth to eighteenth centuries) and French (seventeenth and eighteenth centuries). His intimate familiarity with the art market of the day, combined with his encyclopaedic knowledge, gave him access to some exceptional works.