A Winter Scene with Skaters near a Castle
- Artist: Hendrick Avercamp
- Date: about 1608-9
- Medium: oil on wood
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is "A Winter Scene with Skaters near a Castle" painted in the Dutch north around about 1608-9. The artist, Hendrick Avercamp, was known for his winter scenes and this painting is one of his most famous works.
You can see that the whole town has come out onto the ice to make the most of the frozen canal. People are working, playing, showing off, laughing, complaining, falling over... it's a scene of total chaos. Boats are stuck in the ice, horses are pulling sleighs across the frozen canal and the pink castle looks like a giant iced Christmas cake.
We're looking down from quite high up so we can see the whole town spread out before us. Each tiny figure is incredibly detailed - you can even tell what kind of person they are just by their posture and expression. Avercamp was a master at capturing movement and emotion in his paintings.
Look over there, to your left - that group near the trees, for example, are all watching each other, like we're watching them through this painting. And then there's that couple, dressed up in all their finery, trying to show off on the ice... it's hilarious!
Avercamp was very good at creating a sense of life and energy in his paintings. He'd prepare these tiny drawings of people and scenes, and then transfer them onto the canvas with just a few quick strokes of the brush. It's incredible how much detail he packed into this one painting.
As you look around, I'm sure you'll start to pick up on all sorts of stories and personalities among the tiny figures. It's really quite amazing what Avercamp was able to do in his paintings.
See it in person
A Winter Scene with Skaters near a Castle hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
