Skaters And Merchants In Front Of The Ramparts Of Haarlem By Thomas Heeremans, 1681

Skaters and merchants in front of the ramparts of Haarlem, oil on wood panel, dimensions 31 cm x 41 cm, with the frame 53 cm x 63 cm, by Thomas Heeremans, dated 1681. Thomas Heeremans born in 1641 in Haarlem and died in the same city in 1694 is a painter of the golden age of Dutch painting. He is known for his landscapes, his winter scenes, his views of harbors and beaches. The winter landscape has a great importance in the painting of Flemish and Dutch painters in the 17th century. We are in the climatic period known as the Little Ice Age, still important in the 17th century, even if the cold is less violent than in the 16th century. Skating scenes are very present among the painters of this period, we must not forget that skating was a winter sport and that on the frozen canals we found all of society, men, women, children from all social categories.