Artwork
Landscape with Skaters
Landscape with Skaters is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Jan Brueghel, the elder. It dates from 1615 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado. Created between 1615 and 1625, this oil on canvas portrays a winter landscape centered on a frozen pond where several figures glide on ice.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting functions as a representation of winter, forming part of a series on the four seasons initiated by Joos de Momper the Younger in 1615.
The artwork depicts villagers engaged in everyday activities on a winter day, with some working and others ice skating on a frozen canal. A snowy road terminates in the right foreground, while a hilly landscape rises along the high horizon. An elevated perspective is employed, with a central building acting as the axis for the distribution of the village houses beneath a leaden sky. The painting functions as a representation of winter, forming part of a series on the four seasons initiated by Joos de Momper the Younger in 1615. Unlike traditional seasonal representations of the era, the work deliberately avoids allegory and symbolism, focusing instead on a naturalistic depiction of the landscape and daily life. The figures populating the scene, attributed to Jan Brueghel the Elder, reinforce this straightforward observational approach.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil on panel painting created in 1615, employing oil paint as its medium and using a wooden support typical of early 17th‑century Flemish practice. The surface shows careful handling of light and atmospheric effects, with a leaden sky and a high horizon line that emphasize depth, while the composition balances detailed village activity with a frozen canal scene that dominates the foreground. Figures are rendered with the refined detail associated with Jan Brueghel the Elder, whereas the surrounding landscape follows Joos de Momper’s characteristic expansive style, resulting in a collaborative technique where allegorical symbolism is avoided in favor of naturalistic depiction.
History & Provenance
Landscape with Skaters was painted circa 1615 as part of a four-season series initiated by Joos de Momper. The work is a collaborative oil on canvas depicting villagers skating on a frozen canal, with figures attributed to Jan Brueghel the Elder and landscape to de Momper. It entered the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid, where it remains on public view. The painting is documented in the museum’s inventories and catalogues dating from 1972 onward, confirming its inclusion in the Royal Collection of Spain and its attribution to the Flemish school.
The provenance chain traces the work from its creation to its acquisition by the Spanish court, with records indicating its presence in the Royal Alcázar inventory of 1666. Subsequent scholarly catalogues, including those by Díaz Padrón and Posada Kubissa, reaffirm its status as a joint composition and its continued ownership by the Museo del Prado.
The painting is held by the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain. It is cataloged as a collaboration between Joos de Momper the Younger and Jan Brueghel the Elder. While specific accession numbers are not provided in the available records, the work appears in the museum's general inventory of paintings and its catalog of Flemish school works. The piece was listed in the 1990 general inventory of the Royal Collection under number 1351 and referenced in the 1972 and 1985 Prado painting catalogs. It has been the subject of scholarly discussion in publications regarding the Northern landscape tradition and the 17th-century Flemish school, including a 2011 study on Nordic landscapes in the Prado.
Context
Landscape with Skaters is recognized by modern scholarship as a collaborative effort between Joos de Momper the Younger, who executed the landscape, and Jan Brueghel the Elder, who painted the figures. The work forms part of a series depicting the four seasons initiated by de Momper in 1615, a project that clearly demonstrates the artistic influence of Brueghel. Unlike earlier traditions, de Momper's approach in this series avoids allegory and symbolism, focusing instead on a direct representation of the winter environment and rural activities.
Art historical analysis highlights the distinct division of labor, with the elevated perspective and leaden sky characteristic of de Momper's style, while the villagers skating on the frozen canal are attributed to Brueghel. This partnership exemplifies the common practice among Flemish masters of the early 17th century, where specialists combined their skills to create complex genre scenes.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jan Brueghel the Elder ( BROY-gəl, US also BROO-gəl; Dutch:; 1568 – 13 January 1625) was a Flemish painter and draughtsman.
