Artwork
Winter scene
Winter scene is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jan van de Cappelle. It dates from 1652 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Skaters populate the ice, while a church spire and distant town punctuate the horizon, anchoring the scene in a recognizable Dutch setting.
The painting depicts a winter landscape centered on ice skating and frozen waterways, a popular Dutch pastime during the Little Ice Age. Skaters populate the ice, while a church spire and distant town punctuate the horizon, anchoring the scene in a recognizable Dutch setting. The overcast sky and snow-covered ground reinforce the season's chill, transforming everyday topography into a scene of communal leisure and seasonal transition.
Technique & Style
Jan van de Cappelle's Winter scene, dated 1652, is executed in oil paint on a canvas support. The work functions as a landscape painting that captures a winter setting, featuring subjects such as ice, snow, and figures ice skating under a sky. The composition measures 51.5 centimeters in height and 67.4 centimeters in width.
Stylistically, the piece is classified within the genre of landscape art, emphasizing the atmospheric conditions of a frozen environment.
History & Provenance
Winter scene was painted in 1652 by Jan van de Cappelle. The oil-on-canvas landscape measures 51.5 cm in height and 67.4 cm in width. It depicts a winter landscape with ice skating, ice, sky, and snow, and is categorized as a genre landscape.
It has been part of the Rijksmuseum's collection in Amsterdam, where it is presently housed. Earlier ownership or commission details are not recorded in the available sources.
Overview
Jan van de Cappelle, a prominent Dutch Golden Age painter, created Winter scene in 1652 using oil paint. This work exemplifies his interest in depicting cold weather environments, a subject for which he was particularly recognized alongside his marine paintings. The composition presents a broad, frozen expanse populated by various figures engaged in winter activities, all under a characteristic Dutch sky.
Context
Jan van de Cappelle maintained a dual career, balancing his artistic pursuits with the management of his family's successful dyeworks in Amsterdam, which specialized in producing the valuable carmine dye. Despite these commercial responsibilities, he established himself as a leading marine painter of 17th-century Holland, also earning recognition for his evocative portrayals of winter scenes like this one.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Jan van de Cappelle (or Joannes / van der / Capelle in various combinations; 25 January 1626 (baptized) – 22 December 1679 (buried)) was a Dutch Golden Age painter of seascapes and winter landscapes, also notable as an industrialist and…
