Cleveland Museum of Art

Winter: Skating Scene

Gobelins ManufactoryLinkedCulture matchlcp-55a1469dbe13

Date: designed c. 1535, woven mid- to late 1600s
Medium: Wool, silk, and gold filé: tapestry weave
Culture: France
Department: Textiles
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art
Object ID: 130169

From the Cleveland Museum of Art record

People of all classes and ages enjoyed ice skating, a winter pastime popularized in the Netherlands. Here, some couples are already skating and slipping on the ice, while others tie on their skates or huddle around braziers (portable coal heaters) to keep warm. One affectionate couple in the foreground hold hands as they walk. A castle on the far edge of the frozen lake occupies the background. In the left distance, several small figures holding ladders and long hooks run toward a building that has caught on fire, a frequent occurrence in the winter when wooden houses were heated by fireplaces. If you look closely you can see that the top edge of this scene is missing; look at the top of the castle on the right or the forest fire on the left.

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line: Gift of Francis Ginn, Marian Ginn Jones, Barbara Ginn Griesinger, and Alexander Ginn in memory of Frank Hadley Ginn and Cornelia Root Ginn
Provenance: Balloch Castle, Scotland | January 27-Febuary 3, 1923: Henry Symons Sale: Anderson Galleries, New York, January 27-Febuary 3, 1923 | 1923–1952: Frank Hadley Ginn [1868–1938] and Cornelia Winifred Root Ginn [1877–1937], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art | 1952–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH