Winter landscape with village, frozen river and travellers

Oil on canvas

63 x 77 cm.

framed 82 x 95 cm.

The painting depicts a winter landscape with a typical 17th century Dutch countryside dwelling, overlooking the banks of a partly frozen river and animated by the many characters going about their daily activities.

Observing the details closely, we can discover a series of 'tales within a tale', where various figures animate the scene, showing a cross-section of popular life: thus we see a couple of wayfarers, the man tries to warm his hands by bringing them closer to his mouth, a mother is waiting on the doorstep for her husband with her young son returning from work, another group of figures with skates on their feet move across the frozen sheet of water, a typical winter activity as well as a means of transport.

 

Following in the footsteps of Pieter Brueghel the Elder, who introduced this genre in the third quarter of the 16th century, winter settings like ours reached their zenith in the Dutch Golden Age, a veritable pictorial genre that was very attractive and sought after by art collectors of the time, as well as after almost four centuries, by Flemish painting enthusiasts of today.

Stylistically, the work can be attributed to the Flemish painter Nicolas 'Claes' Molenaer (Haarlem c. 1630 - 1676), given the perfect consonance of the period, style and composition with his creations, based on an evocative landscape, with wooded views, forests and valleys, paths, waterways with villages, animated by lively figures inserted in episodes of everyday life and drawn with a quick and fluid touch.

The painting is in excellent condition.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The painting is completed by an attractive gilded wooden frame and is sold with a certificate of authenticity and descriptive iconographic card.

We take care of and organise the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers.

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