Marking the publication of a new catalogue of its collection of Netherlandish drawings – 10 years in the making – the V&A has mounted a free exhibition, Master Strokes: Dutch and Flemish Drawings from the Golden Age (until 13 November).

The 70 works – some by famous masters, others by lesser-known artists – cover all the subjects you might expect, from village fairs to flowers. But the opening section is devoted to sacred themes and throws an interesting light on the artistic differences between Catholic artists of the southern Netherlands and Protestant artists of the Dutch Republic to the north.

Stylistically there is not much to choose between them, as almost all Netherlandish artists of the period aspired to the Italian manner. Many honed their skills in Italy: Rubens’ Study of a Seated Woman (The Virgin) was a preparatory drawing for a Circumcision of Christ he painted in Italy in 1606 for Genoa’s Chiesa del Gesù e dei Santi Ambrogio e Andrea. If his Virgin looks less than serene, it is because she is wincing at the operation being performed on her baby – a degree of realism that is distinctly Flemish.