Thomas Heeremans, Skaters on village frozen river. C. 1680

Skaters on village frozen river, c. 1680, Thomas Heeremans (1640-1697)

Although the artist of this oil on wood was listed as Thomas Heermans, some researchers believe that based on the costumes of the people in the painting, it was probably a work by Heermans’ student or follower. The right bank of the frozen river is lined up by trees and houses. Two lavishly-dressed men are playing colf. The player on the right raises his club, looking like giving his partner some instruction. Two people are skating on their left, with the boy turning fast to the left. Two ladies are sitting in a horse-drawn ice sled. The exquisite depiction of the people in the painting, with reflective images on the mirror-like ice and the higher-than-normal horizon show the clear influence of Hendrick Avercamp, founding father of Dutch landscape paintings.

Oil on panel

Literature

The Sharp Collection: Early Dutch Paintings with Golf Scenes. Wayne Xing. 2019

Hill of Tarvit Mansion, south of Cupar, Fife, Scotland

Source: Robin Bargmann