Artwork
Winter Scene (Horse-Sleigh on the Ice)
Winter Scene (Horse-Sleigh on the Ice) is an unspecified painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Andries Vermeulen. It dates from 1802 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. The work depicts a frozen river in winter, traversed by a horse‑drawn sleigh while distant figures skate on the ice.
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History & Provenance
His known pupils included Leendert de Koningh and Arnoldus van Well, who were trained under him in Amsterdam, where he died in 1814.
Winter Scene (Horse-Sleigh on the Ice) is attributed to Andries Vermeulen, a Dutch landscape painter active between 1790 and 1814. The work belongs to the landscape genre and reflects the historical engagement with Dutch Golden Age traditions, particularly the influence of artists such as Aelbert Cuyp and Meindert Hobbema, as noted in the sources. Vermeulen received a significant commission in November 1803 from Amsterdam wine merchant Willem Wreesman to create a panorama inspired by Pierre Prévost’s work, though the project was ultimately abandoned and executed by others. His known pupils included Leendert de Koningh and Arnoldus van Well, who were trained under him in Amsterdam, where he died in 1814. Public collections housing his works include the Rijksmuseum and Stadsarchief Amsterdam, the Städel Museum in Frankfurt, the British Museum in London, and the Kunstmuseum in Copenhagen, among others. These details are drawn from biographical and provenance records associated with Vermeulen’s career and artistic output.
Context
Andries Vermeulen is recognized as a significant representative of historicizing landscape painting in the Netherlands around 1800. His work, including winter scenes with figures on the ice, consciously continues the tradition of Hendrick Avercamp. Vermeulen's broader oeuvre reflects a deep engagement with 17th-century Dutch Golden Age masters, particularly Aelbert Cuyp and Meindert Hobbema, whose compositional styles he emulated with high craftsmanship. This historicist approach aligned with contemporary market demands for decorative motifs reminiscent of famous old masters. While Vermeulen produced various genres, his winter landscapes remain his most noted contribution, situating him within a late 18th to early 19th-century movement that looked backward to earlier national artistic achievements rather than pursuing new stylistic innovations.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Andries Vermeulen (1763–1814) was a Dutch painter. Vermeulen was born in Dordrecht. He was taught by his father, Cornelis Vermeulen. He was primarily a landscape painter. He worked for some time in Amsterdam, where he…
