Winter Landscape with Tower
1613-1614
Esaias van de Velde captures a chilly Dutch winter day where frozen waterways turn into a bustling playground. In the foreground, figures are engaged in a game of kolf—an early ancestor of golf and hockey—swinging sticks at a ball on the ice. The scene is dominated by a sturdy, somewhat dilapidated tower that anchors the composition, contrasting the stillness of the architecture with the lively activity. This early 17th-century sketch showcases the artist's talent for capturing atmospheric light and everyday life, helping to pioneer the realistic landscape style that would define the Dutch Golden Age.
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