Artwork
On the Ice
On the Ice is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Aelbert Cuyp. It dates from 1655 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition specifically depicts the Huis te Merwede, a historic house near Dordrecht, serving as the architectural focal point of the scene.
Aelbert Cuyp's 1655 oil painting portrays a winter landscape centered on the activity of ice skating. The composition specifically depicts the Huis te Merwede, a historic house near Dordrecht, serving as the architectural focal point of the scene. Alongside the skaters, the work includes a Koek-en-zopie, a traditional temporary stall selling food and drink that typically appeared on frozen waterways during Dutch winters.
These elements combine to represent a characteristic scene of seventeenth-century Dutch life, capturing both the leisure activities and the specific topography of the region during the colder months.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1655, On the Ice is an oil painting applied on a wooden panel. The work measures 59.5 cm in height and 83.3 cm in width. Stylistically classified as a landscape, the composition depicts a winter scene featuring figures ice skating near a Koek-en-zopie stall, with the Huis te Merwede visible in the background. The piece represents a specific view based on the location near Dordrecht.
History & Provenance
Aelbert Cuyp created the oil painting On the Ice in 1655. The work depicts an ice scene featuring skating figures and a koek-en-zopie stall set before the Huis te Merwede near Dordrecht. Executed in oil on panel, the painting measures 59.5 cm in height and 83.3 cm in width. It is currently held within the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections at the Alte Pinakothek.
On the Ice has been part of the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is held at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. The painting is catalogued on Wikidata as a work in that collection, with its dimensions and 1655 date of creation recorded there.
No exhibition history is documented in the available sources.
Overview
Completed in 1655, On the Ice is an oil painting by Dutch artist Aelbert Cuyp, a prominent figure of the Golden Age known for his bright, atmospheric landscapes. The canvas captures a winter scene on a frozen river, populated by skaters, a horse‑drawn cart selling refreshments, and a distant estate, all rendered beneath a cloudy sky.
Context
Cuyp, born in Dordrecht and trained by his father Jacob Gerritszoon Cuyp, belonged to a family of painters active in the Dutch Republic. On the Ice fits within the broader genre of landscape painting that flourished during the Golden Age, where artists often depicted seasonal activities to showcase both natural light and local customs.
Artist & collection
Artist
Aelbert Jacobszoon Cuyp or Cuijp (Dutch pronunciation: ; 20 October 1620 – 15 November 1691) was one of the leading Dutch Golden Age painters, producing mainly landscapes.
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