Artwork
How Well We Go Together
How Well We Go Together is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Adriaen van de Venne. It dates from 1635 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Technique & Style
These formal elements combine to illustrate the specific narrative subject matter characteristic of the artist's output during this period.
Created in 1635 by Adriaen van de Venne, this work is an oil painting executed on a wooden panel. The composition measures 26.4 cm in height and 18.2 cm in width. Visually, the piece functions as a genre scene, depicting figures engaged in skating alongside an owl.
These formal elements combine to illustrate the specific narrative subject matter characteristic of the artist's output during this period.
History & Provenance
The painting is held by the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen.
Its inventory/accession is not specified in the cited sources.
The work is documented as having been created in 1635, aligning with the museum’s recorded inception date for the piece.
Overview
Adriaen van de Venne, a Dutch painter active during the 17th‑century Golden Age, created the panel work How Well We Go Together in 1635. Executed on a wooden panel, the composition features two anthropomorphic owls poised on ice skates against a bright sky. The piece is part of the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen.
Subject & Meaning
The scene presents a pair of owls, each dressed in distinct attire, a black cloak with a white ruff on the left, a brown coat and gray hat on the right, standing on skates and looking forward with determined expressions. The title implies a harmonious partnership, while the owl, a traditional emblem of wisdom, combined with the winter sport, may allude to the balance of intellect and leisure in everyday life.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Adriaen Pietersz van de Venne (1589 – 12 November 1662), was a versatile Dutch Golden Age painter of allegories, genre subjects, and portraits, as well as a miniaturist, book illustrator, designer of political satires, and versifier.
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