Leiden Drawing Academy

After Pictura was founded in The Hague in 1656 due to dissatisfaction with the existing guild structure, members of Pictura decided in 1682 to establish an academy. Artists who were members could come and draw after a model in the evening. In the 18th century, the number of active visual artists decreased, and so did the number of members of the Leiden drawing academy. Ars Aemula Naturae was eventually founded in 1799, and the Leiden drawing academy ceased to exist.