Lot 1: ANTHONIE VERSTRAELEN

ANTHONIE VERSTRAELEN GORINCHEM 1594 - 1641 AMSTERDAM SKATERS AND A HORSE-DRAWN SLEDGE ON A FROZEN WATERWAY oil on panel 6 1/4 by 5 1/4 in.; 15.9 by 13.4 cm.

Anonymous sale, Amsterdam, Christie's, 12 June 1990, lot 168;
There purchased by the present collector.

Verstraelen was a close follower of Hendrik and Barend Avercamp and, like them, specialized in the depiction of winter scenes showing people and animals on frozen canals. It is well documented that winters in the Netherlands in the 17th century were particularly harsh, with prolonged periods of freezing. Dutch artists were provided ample opportunity to portray their countrymen working and playing on the frozen rivers and canals. Skating was not only a diversion, but a useful means of transportation. This charming small panel depicts a frozen waterway with figures skating while others rely on sledges, the larger one horse-drawn, to get around on the ice.

We are grateful to Marijke C. de Kinkelder of the RKD, The Hague for confirming the attribution to Verstraelen on the basis of a photograph.