We look slightly down onto a scene showing light-skinned men, women, and children ice skating on a frozen river in this horizontal landscape painting. We get the impression of hundreds of people gathered on the ice creating a crowd that extends into the hazy distance. The couple dozen closest to us are the most defined. A few clusters of people and individuals in particular draw our attention. For example, a group of three men wearing dark cloaks and hats stand in conversation on our right. Two boys nearby hold sticks and play a game similar to hockey. A small child holds two smaller sticks,…
Gallery mode Full size at the museum

Window mode follows your eyes with your camera, in this browser only: no picture or position leaves your device.

Skating on the Frozen Amstel River

Adam van Breen (Dutch, c. 1585 - 1640)

1611

Medium
oil on panel
Classification
Painting
Dimensions
overall: 44.3 × 66.5 cm (17 7/16 × 26 3/16 in.) ; framed: 55.88 x 78.74 x 5.08 cm (22 x 31 x 2 in.)
Culture
Dutch
Museum
National Gallery of Art, CNE-B
Credit line
The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund, in honor of Arthur K. Wheelock, Jr.
Rights
Public domain (NGA Open Access, CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed

View at the National Gallery of Art

More by Adam van Breen

See all

More Baroque

See all