Skaters Outside a City Wall

Hendrik van der Straaten

Associated Names
Hendrik van der Straaten

Artist, Dutch, 1665 - 1722

The image shows a winter scene with a snowy landscape. Trees dominate the composition, with bare branches reaching up towards the sky. A tall structure resembling a tower or ruin is in the distance. Delicate brushstrokes capture the scene, emphasizing barren trees. The color palette is monochromatic, using shades of gray. People are engaged in various activities on the ice-covered surface, including ice skating and tending to small fires. More figures can be seen walking in the distance.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gray wash over black chalk on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    image: 27.5 x 19.3 cm (10 13/16 x 7 5/8 in.)
    sheet: 30 x 21.5 cm (11 13/16 x 8 7/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1998.28.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Unidentified collector (EB in pen and red ink, Lugt undescribed); (G. Douwes, Amsterdam); (sale, Sotheby's, New York, 28 January 1998, no. 222, as Skaters on a Frozen Canal); purchased (via Colnaghi Drawings) 1998 by NGA.

Associated Names

Inscriptions

by later hand, lower left margin in graphite: Beerstraten; by later hand, lower left verso in pen and red ink: EB no. 5

Watermarks

Coat of arms

Wikidata ID

Q64573648

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