Art Institute of Chicago

Two Old Men beside a Sled Bearing the Coats of Arms of Amsterdam and Utrecht

Hendrick Avercamp

Date

1620/33

Medium

Opaque and translucent watercolors, with pen and brown ink, over graphite, on cream laid paper

Culture

Netherlands

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Hendrick Avercamp frequently depicted recreational activities on ice. But it is unclear whether the figures here are at leisure or work. The seated postman in blue may be concluding his daily rounds between Utrecht and Amsterdam (as the coats of arms at the back of his sled imply). His clothing is more formal than that of the older, standing men, which suggests that they come from different social classes. Behind these principal figures, workers push goods across the frozen river to tall ships in the distance. Avercamp employed many different kinds of media to create this work and placed each element with care. He first drew the composition with graphite and then precisely applied different tones of watercolor with fine brushes. The resulting drawing effectively conveys frozen water, frigid air, and the sun setting against a northern sky.

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