A scene on the Ice

Hendrick Avercamp (in 1610 - 1620)

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Rodney Franko asked

What did Hendrick Avercamp prime his panels with--white lead, chalk, or other? Thank you.
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen answered

Dear Rodney, During the 17th century Dutch painters generally used a ground made from a combination of chalk and a gelatinous glue. This ground was used to smoothen the panel. All works by Avercamp that have been examined have this typical ground. On this first layer Avercamp added a second ground (or imprimatuur) that separated the first absorbent layer of ground from the layers of paint. This isolating layer contained lead white but the exact composition and thickness differs per work. No technical research has been carried out on the Avercamp paintings in the collection of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. But in 2009 the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam published an interesting publication on the icescapes of Avercamp (in Dutch) that has more information on technical research done on other works by Avercamp. Best, Lonneke

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Sincerely,
Lonneke Visser

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More information

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Avercamp was the first Northern Netherlandish artist to paint winter landscapes. His 'little winters' proved so popular that he began to specialise in the genre. They are narrative scenes with a high horizon thus allowing more space for the activities on the ice.

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Specifications

Title	A scene on the Ice
Material and technique	Oil on panel
Object type	Painting > Painting > Two-dimensional object > Art object
Location	This object is in storage

Dimensions	Width 36 cm Height 18,5 cm
Artists	Painter: Hendrick Avercamp
Accession number	2482 (OK)
Credits	Acquired with the collection of D.G. Van Beuningen, 1958
Department	Old Masters
Acquisition date	1958
Creation date	in 1610 - 1620
Collector	Collector / D.G. van Beuningen
External exhibitions	Boijmans bij de Buren - Maritieme Meesters (2021)
Research	Show research Alma
Material	Oil > Paint > Artist's material > Material > Material and technique Panel > Worked wood > Wood > Vegetable material > Organic material > Material > Material and technique
Object	Painting > Painting > Two-dimensional object > Art object
Geographical origin	Northern Netherlands > The Netherlands > Western Europe > Europe