Dutch urban winter scene – Hendrik Meijer, 1764

URBAN WINTER SCENE WITH RECREATION ON THE ICE, 1764

Drawing by Hendrik Meijer (also Hendrick de Meijer or Meyer, 1744–1793), in pen and black ink with grey wash over an underdrawing in black pencil. Signed lower left and dated 1764. Size: 21 × 32.5 cm.

A frozen waterway on the outskirts of a Dutch town is bustling with activity. The water, normally used for shipping and transport, has temporarily become a public space where people skate, stroll, trade and travel across the ice by sledge. In the foreground, a colourful assortment of figures skate and walk past; a dog races across the ice, one person skates behind a sledge, while another propels a small ice sledge with pointed sticks. At an improvised stall, adults and children crowd together for food, drink and other winter refreshments.

To the right is a shipyard, where the wooden skeleton of a vessel stands on the stocks. A tall church tower rises above the surrounding buildings, while warehouses, a crane and bridges on the left complete the impression of a busy Dutch port town. Bare trees and snow-covered roofs reinforce the wintry atmosphere.

The scene, however, cannot convincingly be identified with any single existing location. The church tower in particular is reminiscent of that of the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam, which acquired its present crowning structure in the 1730s, while the combination of shipyards, warehouses and bridges is also characteristic of eighteenth-century Amsterdam. Taken together, however, the various elements do not form a topographically accurate cityscape. It is therefore most likely a composite or imaginary town view, in which Meijer combined recognisably Dutch motifs into a lively composition. Such an interpretation is entirely plausible within his oeuvre: Meijer is known both for accurately topographical views and for elaborate landscapes that were largely products of his imagination.

Much of the appeal of the drawing lies precisely in this abundance of small incidents. With rapid pen strokes and varying shades of grey wash, Meijer convincingly evokes the bustle of the scene: dark passages along the banks and in the foreground create depth, while the pale ice sets off the numerous figures. Winter scenes would remain a recurring subject in his later work.

The drawing belongs to Meijer’s early work. In 1764, the year in which this sheet was made, he began his training at the Amsterdam City Drawing Academy (Stadstekenacademie); he later worked in Haarlem, Leiden, Amsterdam and London, among other places.

The wealth of figures accords well with the nineteenth-century appreciation of Meijer’s work. Immerzeel (1842) praised his compositions as “rich and spirited” and his staffage as “delightfully drawn and always introduced in abundance”. His finest drawings, he wrote, were “valued and preserved by discerning collectors”.

Price: Euro 3.450,- (incl. frame)