Anthonie Verstraelen

(Gorinchem 1594–1641 Amsterdam)
Skaters on the ice,
monogrammed lower right: AVS (ligated),
oil on panel, 13.2 x 21.7 cm, framed
Provenance:
sale, Mak van Waay, Amsterdam, 4 December 1928, lot 96;
with Galerie Hans Bammann, Düsseldorf, 1929;
Private collection, Germany

Exhibited:
Aachen, Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum, Chambre Privée. Meisterwerke aus dem Wohnzimmer eines Sammlers, 8 November 2018 – 3 February 2019, cat. no. 27

Literature:
P. van den Brink, Winterlandschaft mit Eisvergnügen, in: S. Ayooghi (ed), Chambre Privée. Meisterwerke aus dem Wohnzimmer eines Sammlers, exhibition catalogue, Petersberg 2018, pp. 111–113, no. 27

The works of Anthonie Verstraelen have frequently been misattributed to Hendrick Avercamp, the renowned painter and developer of the winter scene genre. Lot number 28 in this auction offers a painting by Avercamp and an assistant. Apart from some archival records, little is known about Verstraelen. Considering the artist’s body of work he undoubtedly was inspired by the paintings of Avercamp and shared a preference for picturesque details and carefully crafted figures. As noted by Peter van den Brink (see literature), the present painting has been acknowledged as an authentic work by the artist as early as 1928, when the Düsseldorf art dealer Hans Bammann (1901–1945) acquired it at auction (see provenance).

In this relatively small work, Verstraelen depicted a winter landscape with a low horizon and a perspective enhanced by the diagonal line of the ice skaters. Similar works by the artist are conserved in the Niedersächsisches Landesmuseum in Hanover (inv. no. PAM 756), and in the Fondation Custodia, Collection Frits Lugt in Paris (inv. no. 2629), of which the latter is monogrammed and dated 1634. Verstraelen’s later works stand out from his earlier compositions due to their less precise brushwork, smaller size, and monochromatic colour palette. These characteristics are present in the work offered here and it is for this reason that Van den Brink dates the work to 1635–40. These observations suggest that the artist shifted towards working for the free art market and less under commission in the latter part of his career. This theory suggested by Van den Brink aligns with the deaths of contemporaries Hendrick Avercamp, Esaias van de Velde, and Arent Arentsz. called Cabel, who were all active in the same genre.