Drawings made by Schnitger and concerning his organs are few. Not all archives have been thoroughly investigated but is it not very likely that many more drawings will be found. In Golzwarden there is a drawing and there are designs for the organ in Norden. In the Netherlands a drawing of the Eenum organ has been found. This drawing is not signed, but the coat-of-arms on the design pointed to Eenum. Further there are the well-known designs for the organs of the Der Aa Church of Groningen and for the instrument at Pieterburen. Initially the two drawings of the organ in Sneek were attributed to Schnitger by Walter Kaufmann, but later investigations pointed out that these drawings were made by Scheurer in the nineteenth century.
The drawings are not always of
the best quality. The aim was not to produce art, but to give the church
authorities an idea of the organ they ordered. The drawings were also used by
the local craftsmen who made the organ-case. Many cases in the Netherlands were
made by Allert Meyer of Groningen. The smaller organs were completely made in
Hamburg and built up in the respective churches. All organs were made by
specialists who knew exactly what to do. So it was not necessary to make very
detailed drawings. Only the measurements were exact. The details were filled in
by the specialists.