Frozen Winter River Landscape at the Entrance of a City

The canals crisscrossing the Netherlands served as icy sled runs in wintertime, and were more efficient than rutted roads for transport. Here, alongside castle-like dwellings, men and horses guide sledges full of goods to market. At right, merchants tend an enormous sledge of goods. This winter landscape may be nostalgic, drawing on 17th-century paintings like the Klaes Molenaer on view elsewhere in the galleries.

One of the most famous Dutch painters of his time, Andreas Schelfhout was best known for his seasonal landscapes. A member of the artists' association "Pulchri studio" in the Hague, he spent almost his entire career in the city except for short study trips to Paris. He taught many Dutch Romantics, including Leickert and Kleijn.