Two Old Men beside a Sled Bearing the Coats of Arms of Amsterdam and Utrecht

Description

Hendrick Avercamp frequently depicted recreational activities on ice. But it is unclear whether the figures here are at leisure or work. The seated postman in blue may be concluding his daily rounds between Utrecht and Amsterdam (as the coats of arms at the back of his sled imply). His clothing is more formal than that of the older, standing men, which suggests that they come from different social classes. Behind these principal figures, workers push goods across the frozen river to tall ships in the distance.

Avercamp employed many different kinds of media to create this work and placed each element with care. He first drew the composition with graphite and then precisely applied different tones of watercolor with fine brushes. The resulting drawing effectively conveys frozen water, frigid air, and the sun setting against a northern sky.

Provenance

Dionis Muilman, Amsterdam; sold, Kunstboeck A, Amsterdam, Mar. 29, 1773, lot 24, to Pieter Oets [Keyes 2014; published earlier in Welcker]; sold, Kunstboeck C, Amsterdam, Jan. 31, 1791, lot 34. Ignatius Franciscus Ellinckuysen (died 1897), Rotterdam 1879; sold, Frederick Muller and Company and C. M. van Gogh, Amsterdam, Apr. 16–17, 1879, lot 6, to A. G. deVisser, The Hague; sold, Frederik Muller and Company, Amsterdam, May 16–18, 1881, lot 3, to Linnig [Keyes 2014; published earlier in Welcker ]. Sold, Frederik Muller and Company, Amsterdam, June 15–18, 1908, lot 16, to Shrey, Frankfurt-am-Main [Welcker 1933]. Sold by Artaria and Company, Vienna, to Curt Otto (c. 1880–1929), Leipzig, 1909 [stamp (Lugt 611c), verso, lower left, in brown]; sold, C. G. Boerner, Leipzig, Nov. 7, 1929, lot 4, to Houthakker [according to Dr. F. Carlo Schmid of Boerner; this is likely Bernard Houthakker (1884–1963), a dealer and collector of prints and drawings in Amsterdam] [until 1952 at least]. Oldenzaal [Keyes 2014]. Hendrikus Egbertus ten Cate (1868–1955), Rotterdam, by 1955 [Hannema 1955]; sold, C. G. Boerner, Düsseldorf, Dec. 1–15, 1964, ten Cate sale, lot 2, to the Art Institute of Chicago.