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Jan van Goyen, 'A Scene on the Ice', 1645

About the work

Overview

The cold is almost tangible in Jan van Goyen’s evocation of life on the ice in a seventeenth-century Dutch winter. The horizon is low and the sky vast, so we are on a level with the people portrayed. A bank of grey cloud hovers overhead, just moving enough to let in the pale sun and allow a glimmer of reflection on the frozen river.

It’s an imaginary place, perhaps built up from the drawings van Goyen made in his many sketchbooks. The distant church spire and the windmill are unidentified – just typical Dutch buildings that could be seen anywhere. Rather than showing colourful incidents to entertain the viewer, van Goyen’s picture evokes an atmosphere: his tiny image is an elegy to winter. The colours are muted and swiftly painted, making the distant figures little more than grey outlines, almost like ghosts passing in the mist.

Key facts

Details

Full title
A Scene on the Ice by a Drinking Booth; A Village in the Distance
Artist
Jan van Goyen
Artist dates
1596 - 1656
Date made
1645
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
25.2 × 34 cm
Inscription summary
Signed; Dated
Acquisition credit
Salting Bequest, 1910
Inventory number
NG2579
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection
Previous owners

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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