Artwork
Winter Landscape with Skaters near a Village
Winter Landscape with Skaters near a Village is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Hendrick Avercamp. It dates from 1610 and is held in the collection of the Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Collection.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting shows a frozen river bank where men and women glide on ice, a modest farmhouse and a leafless tree marking the village outskirts. The scene records everyday winter leisure in the Dutch Republic and, through its crisp rendering of light on snow, conveys a sense of communal harmony and the fleeting pleasure of seasonal recreation.
Technique & Style
Hendrick Avercamp's Winter Landscape with Skaters near a Village is executed in oil paint on a wooden panel support.
Hendrick Avercamp's Winter Landscape with Skaters near a Village is executed in oil paint on a wooden panel support. Created in 1610, the work measures approximately 53.5 cm in height and 94.5 cm in width. As a landscape painting, the composition depicts a frozen river scene populated by figures ice skating, alongside elements such as farmhouses, trees, and individuals wearing period attire like the huik.
The medium and support are characteristic of Northern European genre scenes from the early 17th century, allowing for the detailed rendering of winter activities and atmospheric conditions.
History & Provenance
Winter Landscape with Skaters near a Village is an oil painting on panel created by Hendrick Avercamp in 1610. The work entered the Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Collection and is now held by the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. It measures 53.5 by 94.5 centimeters and depicts an icy scene with figures skating, a farmhouse, trees, and a man and woman.
The painting has been part of the van Otterloo collection since its formation, reflecting a continuous ownership chain from the artist to the collectors and subsequently to a public institution. Its creation history is documented by its dated execution in 1610 and technical specifications recorded in museum records.
The provenance reflects a clear transfer from the artist to private ownership and later to a museum setting, establishing its current location and status as part of a notable collection.
Winter Landscape with Skaters near a Village, painted by Hendrick Avercamp in 1610, is an oil on panel work measuring 53.5 cm in height and 94.5 cm in width. It belongs to the Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Collection and is housed in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. The painting has been exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston as part of the exhibition "Dutch and Flemish Masterpieces from the Collection of Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo," which ran from March 12 to June 15, 2009.
Overview
Hendrick Avercamp’s 1610 oil painting captures a bustling winter scene on a frozen pond near a small village. The canvas is filled with skaters, onlookers, and a handful of buildings, all set against a muted, overcast sky. The composition conveys the communal atmosphere of a cold day, where everyday life continues on the ice.
Artist & collection
Artist
Hendrick Avercamp (January 27, 1585 (bapt.) – May 15, 1634 (buried)) was a Dutch painter during the Dutch Golden Age of painting.
Museum
Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Collection
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