Alkmaar in Winter
About this artwork
This lively scene is teeming with figures skating and enjoying a clear, cold day. Ruysdael painted several winter landscapes in the 1650s, many of which include recognisable cityscapes. The town in the background of this picture is Alkmaar, seen from the northeast. Many of the most prominent buildings can be identified. For example, the imposing gateway is the exterior of the Friese Poort, which led into the city on its northeast side; the large church in the background is the Sint Laurenskerk.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Salomon van Ruysdael (about 1600/03 - 1670) Netherlandish
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title:Alkmaar in Winter
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date created:1656
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materials:Oil on canvas
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measurements:79.30 x 110.50 cm; Framed: 104.50 x 133.00 x 11.00 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to The National Galleries of Scotland 2005
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accession number:NG 2799
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gallery:
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subject:
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artwork photographed by:Antonia Reeve
Salomon van Ruysdael
Salomon van Ruysdael
Salomon van Ruysdael is regarded as one of the founding father of seventeenth-century Dutch landscape painting. He is best known for his calm river and estuary scenes, often with vast skies. In 1623 he enrolled as a master painter in Haarlem, where he spent his entire career. Van Ruysdael was the...