Wintergezicht met arrenslee op het ijs c. 1847 - 1863

Johannes Franciscus Hoppenbrouwers made this etching of a winter scene, entitled 'Wintergezicht met arrenslee op het ijs', in the Netherlands in the mid-19th century. It depicts a seemingly ordinary scene: figures on a frozen waterway, a horse-drawn sleigh, and a group of people gathered by a cottage. But consider the social implications of this image from the period now known as the Dutch Golden Age. The scene portrays a society where leisure and recreation are possible even in the harshness of winter. This speaks to the economic prosperity and relative social stability of the Netherlands at this time. The level of detail and artistic skill evident in the print also suggests a culture that values and supports the arts. To understand this image further, you might research the Dutch landscape tradition, the popularity of winter scenes in Dutch art, and the social history of leisure in the 19th-century Netherlands. The meaning of art is deeply intertwined with its social and institutional context.