Anthonie Verstraelen

Anonymous sale, Amsterdam, Christie's, 12 June 1990, lot 168;

Where acquired by J.E. Safra, New York;

His sale ("Important Old Master and 19th Century Paintings from the Collection of J.E. Safra"), New York, Sotheby's, 26 January 2011, lot 1;

Where acquired by Jordan and Thomas A. Saunders III.

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 17^th 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.

When last offered at auction Marijke C. de Kinkelder of the RKD, The Hague endorsed the attribution to Verstraelen on the basis of a photograph.