Games on the Ice
Barent Avercamp
Dutch, 1612–1679

Details
Title
Games on the Ice
Artist/Maker
Barent Avercamp (Dutch, 1612–1679)
Date
1654
Medium
Oil on panel
Dimensions
10 3/4 x 17 7/16 inches
Credit
Gift of Rolf R. Roland
Accession #
61.8
This lively scene, likely set in the Dutch town of Kampen, shows the bustling activity of winter games unfolding on a frozen lake or river. In the foreground, a group of men plays kolf, a precursor to golf in which players use clubs to hit a small ball toward a target. Elsewhere, a pair of bearded burghers looks on disapprovingly, and a horse-drawn sleigh prepares to traverse the ice. Such lighthearted paintings of everyday activities enjoyed enormous popularity in the Netherlands in the 1600s.
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