Winter Landscape with Skaters near a Castle
Artist
Adriaen van de Venne
(Dutch, 1589–1662)
Date1615
Mediumoil on panel
Dimensionspanel: 16.5 x 23.2 cm (6 1/2 x 9 1/8 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineCharlotte E.W. Buffington Fund
Terms
Object number1951.30
Label TextVan de Venne was a poet and a versatile artist whose work ranged from extremely colorful paintings of historical and allegorical subjects to monochromatic illustrations of proverbs. He painted this small winter scene early in his career while living in Middelburg, one of the major trading centers of the new Dutch republic. The bird's-eye view and intense coloring recall the Flemish landscape tradition of the sixteenth century, which had been established by artists like Pieter Brueghel the Elder. A variety of anecdotal figures represent all levels of Dutch society, from the worker chopping wood at the lower left to the well-dressed patricians enjoying the outdoor activities of winter. This painting is one of a set of four landscapes by van de Venne that make up the Four Seasons, a popular theme in northern European art. (The two representing spring and summer are at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, and the one depicting autumn is in a private collection.)ProvenanceJhr. A.K.D. de Brauw Collection, The Hague, 1943; Museum purchase from D.A. Hoogendijk, Amsterdam, 1951.On View
On viewCollections
Frans van Mieris
1662
