Lot 155: Hendrick Avercamp (1585-1634)

A winter scene with fishermen cutting a hole in the ice and children playing, a sledge being pulled towards a farm building, a church and windmills beyond signed 'HA' on the footbridge at the left and with later inscription 'HA F.' black lead, red chalk, pen and grey ink and brown ink, watercolour, brown ink framing lines on three sides, a small loss made up between the two foreground figures 197 x 280 mm. NOTES Marijn Schapelhouman has kindly confirmed the attribution on inspection of the drawing and dates it to circa 1615-20. He points out that the monogram on the bridge is autograph, while that in the lower left corner is by another hand. Avercamp, a native of Kampen, received his initial training in Amsterdam, first in the studio of the Flemish landscape painter Gillis van Coninxloo, and later with Pieter Isaacz. This early Flemish influence is evident in the large number of winter scenes by Avercamp in watercolour and bodycolour, which show the strong influence of Jan Brueghel the Elder. In 1613 Avercamp returned to Kampen, and influenced by the surrounding landscape produced a large number of finished drawings in watercolour. These scenes are densly peopled with elegant figures promenading on the ice, often depicting identifiable views around Kampen and along the IJsel. The present sheet has been dated to the early part of this period in Kampen. A similar scene of Fishermen cutting holes in the ice is in the Mus‚e des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, C. Welcker, Hendrick Avercamp 1585-1634 bijgenaamd 'De stomme van Campen' en Barent Avercamp 1612-1679 'Schilders tot Campen', Doornspijk, 1979, no. T 90.3, pl. XIIIA.