In this series, Index asks our colleagues “What is your favorite work of art in our collections and why?” This is a tall order, given that there are about 250,000 works in the Harvard Art Museums’ collections. At a recent weekly coffee hour, our intrepid reporters posed the challenging question to unsuspecting staff. Click here to see other responses in this series.

Penley Knipe, Philip and Lynn Straus Conservator of Works of Art on Paper

“I can’t decide. I love a few. Some winners are de Gheyn’s Crossbowman Assisted by a Milkmaid and Inness’s October Noon.”

Why those two works?

“I love the way de Gheyn draws. He has such command, and the drawing is very strong visually. Inness really captured that ethereal look that nature often has. Love the soft brushwork.”

If you had to choose one as your favorite: de Gheyn or Inness?

“The de Gheyn . . . because it is a work on paper!”